


When the past meets the present

by dont_hate_me01



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), NCIS, NCIS AU - Fandom, NCIS/Criminal Minds crossover
Genre: Abby Sciuto Bashing, Archive warnings apply, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Human Trafficking, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Past Drug Addiction, Redeemed Timothy McGee, Timothy McGee Bashing, Tony DiNozzo & Jethro Gibbs Father-Son Relationship, Ziva David Bashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 00:02:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 62,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12420918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dont_hate_me01/pseuds/dont_hate_me01
Summary: When NCIS uncovers a human trafficking ring, Tony's past comes back with a vengeance. Between the danger of the past and the threat of the present, Tony’s life hangs in the balance. Although he trusts Gibbs with his life, there is only one person who will understand and who will be able to help. It was time to call the BAU, and it was time for Derek Morgan to come to the rescue.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jesco0307](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesco0307/gifts), [sexycazzy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sexycazzy/gifts).



> **AN 1:** This fic is dedicated to the amazing [jesco0307](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesco0307) who became my soundboard on all things NCIS fiction related. She has been a pillar of strength and a fountain of inspiration for most of my NCIS stories. This is for you - THANK YOU!  
>  **AN 2:** To the wonderful artist, [sexycazzy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sexycazzy), thank you for picking this story to do the art for! Go and show your love for the art [**HERE!**](https://sexycazzy.dreamwidth.org/247128.html)  
>  **AN 3** To my beta, [AmyH0127](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmyH0127), once again, thank you! The next one is for you!  
>  **AN 4:** To each and every person who gave me advice, but more specifically to [jane_x80](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jane_x80) who became my soundboard for this story, I salute you. Without you cheering me on, this fic wouldn't have seen the light.  
>  **AN 5:** To our Mod, [Jacie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacie), thank you once again for leading us in this challenge, it's always an honor to take part.  
>  **AN 6:** The original idea came from NCIS season 13.13 - Déjà Vu, but I've made some major changes to it as well.  
>  **AN 7:** I've used different characters from all over the different seasons of NCIS and Criminal Minds. Please don't try and pack this story into one specific season, it will not work.

**Chapter 1**

**Navy Yard – NCIS**

**3 Days ago**

**‘The past is never where you think you left it.’ – Katherine Ann Porter**

“Let’s go, people. Dead sailor found.” Gibbs tossed the keys to the van in his second in command’s direction as he grabbed his pistol and credentials. He didn’t look back as he made his way to the elevator. By the sounds behind him, he knew his team was right on his heels.

“What do we know, Boss?” Tony asked as he took his position next to Gibbs. He didn’t even glance at the two junior team members. Things were tense in the bullpen and he was tired of their attitude.

“Body was found on private property. A security team doing patrols found the site. They contacted the locals and the body was identified as one of ours.” Gibbs repeated what he knew as they filed out of the elevator. He got into the passenger seat of the van and closed the door behind him. It was a clear indication to the two juniors that they should get into the back. He thought he could hear McGee grumble, but he ignored it.

Tony started the van and pulled out. The two men sat in silence as Tony drove in the direction of the address Gibbs supplied to him. He was surprised when Gibbs spoke up next to him.

“I thought you’d come by this weekend for cowboy steaks?”

Tony shrugged. “I had some stuff to sort out. Don’t get me wrong, Boss, I wanted to, but..,” Tony shrugged again.

Gibbs hummed in response. “Did you manage to sort things out?” He should’ve known that after the last week, Tony would take time for himself. It was how his second in command worked things out for himself. He still missed him.

Tony nodded. “Yes, I did. I wanted to talk to you this morning, but then we got the case. I’ll come by tonight if that’s all right with you and then we can talk?”

“My door is always open, DiNozzo.” Gibbs raised his coffee cup in a salute. “How did it go this morning?”

“They didn’t even look at the files I’ve placed on their desks. And we got this case before I could talk to them. So, we’ll see what happens when we get back. In the meantime, I’ll be doing my work, and hopefully they’ll do theirs.”

Gibbs nodded in agreement. He knew he’d dropped the ball, more than what Tony did. He couldn’t help but to think back on the conversation they had before the weekend. At least they’d managed to work out things between them. He’d found Tony at his desk before he headed home. At that moment, he could see how tired Tony was.

_You do realize that it’s not your fault. I should’ve reacted to the situation earlier.”_

_Tony shook his head. “We are both to blame, Gibbs. I just really thought that they would realize that I’m not an airhead, instead they didn’t look past the play boy image I portray on a regular basis to get information out of people. They decided that that is indeed me and therefor I’m not capable of doing my work.” Tony sighed. “I’m just grateful that you backed me up when it was necessary, Gibbs. If you didn’t.” He became silent. “If you didn’t, I don’t think I would’ve been able to continue working with you.”_

_Those words made Gibbs stumble back. He sat down heavily on the side of Tony’s desk. “Fuck,” he dragged his hand over his face and then shook his head. “In all the years that I’ve worked for NIS and then later NCIS you’re the only person I actively recruited to work on my team, Tony. I know I’m a bastard, but I will always have your six.”_

_Tony cocked his head. “I always knew that, Gibbs, but since Kate’s death and now with Ziva and McGee, it felt like I was totally on my own. McGee’s finally got some backbone and no longer tries to run when you just look at him, but then Ziva came in and he became arrogant and you remained silent about it. I know you’ve heard more than once the swipes they took at me. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s your fault, I should’ve said something, but just maybe…” Tony lowered his head._

_“I should’ve pulled them back, Tony. I dropped the ball.” Gibbs placed a bracing hand on Tony’s shoulder and squeezed it hard._

_Tony nodded. “As I said, we both did. But, Gibbs, I need to handle this. If I don’t, they’re once again going to say I can’t do my job.”_

_Gibbs smiled. After the dressing down Tony gave the two junior agents the day before, he had a feeling they were a bit wary of his second in command. “I don’t think that will happen, DiNozzo, but I do agree you need to handle this. You’ve got my backing one hundred percent. Don’t worry about Vance. I’ll handle him if necessary.”_

_Tony smiled tiredly. “Thank you, Boss. He looked down at the paperwork before him. “I still got some stuff to do, so you go on home, Gibbs. I’ll catch you later.” ___

____

____

_Gibbs looked at the documents before Tony and groaned. “You’re using a red pen.”_

_“It’s one of many things I’m going to do differently from now on, Gibbs. Including no longer coddling them and their reports. I had to learn the hard way; it’s time they did as well.”_

_Gibbs grunted and nodded. “Good.” He slapped Tony on the back and left his second in command to work. Ziva and McGee were going to get to know another side of Tony, one they never expected. The wakeup call would do them good, and if they didn’t shape up, they could ship out, but Tony would remain._

Gibbs was pulled out of his musings when Tony brought the van to a halt. He placed his NCIS cap on his head and climbed out. With a no-nonsense voice, he ordered his team to their jobs. He made sure to keep Tony close and let the other two do the brunt of the hard work. It was time they pulled up their socks.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Tony spoke to the security patrol and got the necessary statements and contact details from them. He made his way over to where Gibbs stood next to Ducky. He gave a friendly smile to Palmer.

“Cause of death, Duck?” Gibbs asked as he looked down at the half naked body of the dead seaman identified as Alice Cooper.

“My dear, Jethro. You always ask that question before I have the chance to take a proper look at our victim. Surely by now you do realize that I cannot give you a cause of death by a mere look or two.” Ducky took a deep breath and continued. “However, from what I can see it looks like she has been shot. If that was the cause of death, that remains to be seen.”

“I think she might’ve been in a fight as well, Doctor Mallard.” Jimmy Palmer lifted her hand and indicated to the skinned knuckles.

Ducky leaned in closer. “Make sure that we cover her hands properly, Mister Palmer, we might get some evidence from them.”

“Will do, Doctor Mallard.” The young medical assistant rushed to their van to get the gurney and the necessary bags.

Gibbs turned to Tony. “What do you have?”

“The property belongs to a private firm. It’s been earmarked for a housing project, but there are rumors going around according to the security officers, that it seems like there are lawsuits between different parties and therefore nothing is happening. They patrol this area once or twice a week. The last time they were in this specific area was two days ago. Nothing suspicious noted then.” Tony flipped his notes closed. “I’ll follow up at the office on the owners of the property and see if they had any connection with our dead seaman.”

Gibbs nodded. “McGee, Ziva!” He indicated with his head to the van and managed to hide a smile as they both scrambled for the van. For a moment Ziva headed towards the passenger side, but he saw McGee mouthing something to her and she made her way to the back. It seemed like at least McGee realized they were in the doghouse. He could only hope that Ziva would come to the same conclusion and soon. They both had the ability to become decent agents, but first they had to work on their attitudes or he wouldn’t hesitate to kick them off his team.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Ducky looked up as Jethro entered autopsy a few hours later. He had concluded the postmortem and Seaman Cooper indeed died of a gunshot wound. It was also clear that she was not only beaten up fairly severely, but she was tortured. He found her spleen ruptured with numerous tears in her liver. Her right lung was heavily bruised and there were signs of internal bleeding. Both her legs were broken. She did, however, put up a good fight. They’d collected different samples from her hands, and it was now in Abigail’s hands to sort out. Mr. Palmer also noticed something that they initially thought a rodent bite, but it became something much more.

“You’ve got something for me, Ducky?” Gibbs walked in and came to a halt next to Ducky’s table.

“Indeed, Jethro. And if it was not for Mr. Palmer’s keen eye, I would have missed it completely.” He held out the small sample holder. He waited for Gibbs to take it before he continued. “I had a look at it under the microscope. It looks like a tiny microchip. I was about to take it up to Abigail to have a look at when you came in.”

Gibbs frowned as he held the little glass bottle in his hand. “Where on the body did you find it, Ducky?”

“It was embedded in the skin of her left armpit, Jethro. Due to the fact that she was dumped in that empty piece of land, more than one scavenger had a taste of her. The incision was so small that as I mentioned, initially it did seem to be yet another bite mark. It was only when Mr. Palmer had a closer look and pulled this from the wound that we realized what we have.”

“Why would she have a microchip implanted?” Gibbs wondered out loud and turned as a voice spoke up behind him.

“Many owners get microchips for their pets, Agent Gibbs. It stores all of your information and when the dog or cat get lost, picked up and scanned, the information can help locate their owners. My mother has two small dogs and I know for a fact they both have microchips.”

“She was not a dog, Palmer.” Gibbs snapped.

Jimmy gulped, his eyes grew large. But then he squared his shoulders and nodded his head. “Yes, Agent Gibbs, indeed, she was not a dog, but someone tagged her with that microchip. All that I’m saying is that microchip might have information on whoever took her, or for what purpose she might have been taken for.”

Gibbs stared at Palmer and then nodded his head. “Good work, Palmer.” He reached for Ducky’s clipboard and signed for the sample holder to keep the chain intact. “I’ll take it to Abby, Ducky.”

“Thank you, Jethro.” Ducky smiled and looked on as his old friend marched out. He turned to the young man next to him. “Well done, Mr. Palmer, I am very proud of you. You showed some backbone there and you kept a respective tone. That is good.”

Jimmy blushed, but nodded. “Thank you, Doctor Mallard.” He smiled. He actually said something to Agent Gibbs that made sense and he didn’t make a fool out of himself. With a light heart he continued his other duties.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Gibbs cringed as the automatic doors to Abby’s lab opened and his ears were assaulted with something that sounded like dustbins being banged against one another. Abby was not in sight and he ventured in deeper. He found her in the ballistics part of the lab. She was hunkered against the wall, Bart clutched to her chest. “Abby!” He had to yell over the noise even as he lowered himself to touch her on her shoulder.

Abby recoiled at the touch, but when she saw who it was, she flung herself onto Gibbs and held on for dear life.

Gibbs had to brace himself at the impact and managed to get them both to their feet. He peeled her off and instead of screaming again, he signed for her to turn off the noise and to tell him what was wrong. For a moment, it looked like she wasn’t going to listen to him, but then she turned away and with a flick of her wrist and with the remote she brought silence to the lab. “What the hell, Abby?”

“How dare he, Gibbs? We are a family and he’s ruining it. He’s making himself to be high and mighty, but he’s not. He’s not the boss, you are the Bossman, so just how dare he! You will tell him where to get off, won’t you, Gibbs? You can’t let him get away with it.” Abby stamped her foot and pouted.

Gibbs frowned, he had no idea what Abby was referring to. “What are you talking about, Abby?” He turned and exited the inner sanctum of her lab. He was aware of the fact that she followed close behind him.

“See, I knew it. I knew he was doing this without you knowing, Gibbs. He’s acting like a spoiled brat and you should slap him down for it. He has no right to treat them like that. No right.” She ranted on and paced the floor.

“Abby,” Gibbs growled. He was losing his patience. “I don’t understand what you are talking about. Who did what, when, to whom?”

Abby took a deep breath. “I’m talking about Tony, Bossman. He’s acting like you died and he’s king. Did you know he ordered Tim and Ziva to redo all of their reports for the last two weeks just because he has some bee in his bonnet? There’s nothing wrong with their reports. And when they told him they wouldn’t do it, he took out official reprimands. How could he!”

Gibbs saw red. Abby had a soft spot in his heart. She was like a child to him; an older sister to Kelly, but she was overstepping her boundaries. “How do you know Tim and Ziva’s reports were in order, Abby?” He tried to keep calm.

Abby shrugged. “They told me they were. They’ve been completing those kind of report for years now, Gibbs, you know that. How can there be a problem with them now? Tony’s just being an ass.”

Gibbs struggled to keep it together. “In the MCRT team, how does the chain of command work?”

Abby frowned at the question. “I don’t understand.”

“If I’m not there, Abby, who’s in charge?” Gibbs voice was a mere whisper.

“No one, Gibbs. You’re the Bossman. If you’re not there, Tony, McGee and Ziva are on equal footing, they need to work as a team. Something that is impossible with Tony’s attitude by the way.”

“I’ve got news for you, Abby. Tony is my second in command. He is the senior field agent. Something that neither McGee nor Ziva are at this stage in their careers.” He held up his hand as Abby looked like she wanted to interrupt. “Chain of command works from me to Tony. Both McGee and Ziva are well aware of this, but they continued to ignore this. And then last week something happened. Did those two tell you what had happened, Abby?” Gibbs closed the distance between them, almost pressing her against the table at her back.

Abby’s eyes grew large. It was clear that Gibbs was pissed. But she had no idea why he was pissed at her. “I don’t understand. Tony…”

Gibbs growled and snapped. “NO Abby! Tony, nothing!” He took a deep breath. “Do you know what happened last week?”

Abby remained silent. She had a feeling that what Ziva and McGee told her was not the truth. Tears gathered in her eyes.

“Well then, let me inform you.” Gibbs took her by the arm and pushed her down in her chair. “Last week we received information on a cold case. The information was good enough for us to know that if we acted quickly, we’ll be able to arrest a killer. I sent them out to go and pick the guy up. At the house, Tony gave McGee and Ziva orders. Instead of following his instructions, they decided to argue about it with him. Right there on the scene. In front of the local police. Tony tried to tell them that it wasn’t the time to argue about it, and he tried to get them to take up their positions. They refused. They told him his plan would not work. He pulled rank and told them to stand down. Both of them decided that they were just fine with that and went to sit and wait in the car. The local police helped Tony out and they managed to take the guy in custody, Abby. After they got the guy back here Ziva wanted to do the interrogation and Tony told her in no uncertain terms no. You know what she did? She pushed him out of the way and went into the interrogation room. She managed to get a confession out of him three hours later, something that Tony would’ve done in a third of the time. Tony decided that he had enough and he came and he reported their behavior to me. But you know what, Abby? By that time, I already fielded three calls from the local police telling me about the appalling behavior of two of my agents and the technician in the observation room to interrogation also called me and told me what he’d personally witnessed in the hallway. I listened to what Tony told me and I wanted to fire their asses on the spot. He told me not to, that he would sort it out. That I should give them a second chance. I confronted them. They tried to make excuses, saying that they didn’t think Tony was serious. That I knew what a clown he was. Not once did they say that they were in the wrong. They still feel that Tony was the one who was at fault.” Gibbs closed his eyes. “Now you want to come and tell me that Tony is acting like a child. I think it’s time you look into a mirror, Abby, take a close look, because the only child you’ll see, is the one staring back at you. I’m disappointed in you, Abby. I really am.” Gibbs turned away and took the sample container and placed it next to her arm. “Let me sign for this and see what you can get from that. I don’t want to hear anything from you, unless it’s work related, Abby.” He waited for her until she completed the chain of command form and he signed it. He left the lab without looking back once.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

There was an annoying buzz in Tony’s ears. He could feel his vision going black and he had to keep on taking deep breaths in an attempt not to hyperventilate. He couldn’t believe what Gibbs said, but Gibbs didn’t know about what happened in the past, he couldn’t be making a joke about it. He wouldn’t. His head snapped up as Gibbs called out to him. “Boss?” He knew he missed something important, but he had no idea what.

Gibbs closed the distance between his desk and Tony’s desk. There was something wrong with Tony. The younger man was as white as a sheet, his pupils blown wide open and his breathing very shallow. Even as Tony finally reacted to his name, he could see that Tony wasn’t quite sure where he was. He stepped around Tony’s desk and placed his hand on Tony’s shoulder. He could feel Tony shiver beneath his hand. “Phone, Ducky. Tell him to get up here.” Gibbs looked down and cursed as Tony’s eyes rolled back in his head and slumped forward. Luckily, he was fast enough to prevent Tony from faceplanting right onto his desk. “Tony!”

“Gibbs?” Fornell spoke up right next to him.

“Help me lower him to the floor, Tobias.” Gibbs ordered tersely and with easy movements the two men lowered Tony to the floor. By that time a ring of spectators had gathered around, but before Gibbs could explode, Ducky was there.

“I do assume that all of you have more important things to do than to stand around here gaping at a colleague who is in need of medical attention, so move along people.” Ducky didn’t give them any more notice but moved to Tony’s side. They dispersed in silence, not wanting to feel Ducky’s wrath on them. “Gibbs?”

“Not sure, Ducky. It was as if he zoned out and then he started to hyperventilate and then he passed out.” Gibbs explained, his voice laced with worry.

Ducky hummed and as he was about to start his examination, Tony groaned and opened his eyes. “You with us my, boy?” Ducky asked as he gently helped Tony to sit up against his desk.

“Ducky?” Tony frowned and then bowed his head and groaned. “I passed out.” His cheeks flushed red, but at the same time he tensed up. He remembered why he passed out. He started to tremble slightly.

“It seems like you did, Anthony. When was the last time you had something to eat?” Ducky frowned as he took Tony’s wrist in his hand and felt the tremble pass through Tony’s body.

“Was a bit busy this morning, Ducky. I forgot.” Tony lowered his head. It was the truth, but definitely not the reason for his collapse.

“Tsk-tsk, Anthony.” Ducky sighed. “Your blood sugar is a bit on the low side.” He looked up and caught Jimmy’s eye who stood across from him. “Mr. Palmer, please fetch some orange juice for Anthony. It will help with the low sugar and then you can get something to eat.” He listened to Tony’s heart and then nodded. “Let us get you up and in a chair, Anthony.” He stood to the side and waited for Gibbs and Fornell to help the fallen agent to his feet. He frowned when he noticed that although more than one agent was still keeping an eye on what was going on, Timothy and Ziva were absent. He was sure he saw both of them when he arrived, but now they’d disappeared. Ducky silently shrugged. There was a possibility that Gibbs had sent them on an errand.

“You all right, Tony?” Gibbs kept his hand on Tony’s shoulder. The younger man was still ash white.

Tony nodded carefully. “I’m fine, Gibbs. I should’ve taken a few moments to eat something earlier. I fainted like a girl.” He tried to make a joke out of it. But by the look on Gibbs’ face, he had a feeling his joke didn’t go down well. He was saved by Jimmy when the young man appeared with orange juice and a sandwich in his hands. He took it with a smile and managed to take a few sips of the ice-cold juice. He knew he had to keep up an appearance. Gibbs would not let him go if he found out Tony was trying to fool him.

“Palmer, take Tony home. Make sure he doesn’t faceplant again.” Gibbs ordered and then lifted Tony’s chin with his hand. “Get some rest this afternoon. I don’t want to see you back here until tomorrow afternoon. Is that understood?”

Tony wanted to object, but he knew the look in Gibbs’ eye. It would not help him. “Understood, Boss. I’ll take it easy this afternoon and then tonight I’ll see if I can find anything on that lead Jimmy found for us.” Tony couldn’t say the words. He couldn’t think of the microchip that was now in Abby’s lab which made him think of the pain he experienced; of the death he witnessed and of his own humiliation. He pushed the thoughts away. He had to stay in the present.

Gibbs didn’t look convinced, but in the end, he nodded. “I’ll phone you tonight. Make sure you answer, DiNozzo, unless you want me to come and kick down your door.”

Tony managed to smile. “I’ll answer, Boss. I promise.”

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Tony paced his apartment. He’d managed to keep it together and now he was alone, he could fall apart. He had no idea what the odds were on someone else planting a microchip into a young woman under the left armpit, unless it was _them_. His legs buckled and he grabbed hold of the couch in an attempt to stay on his feet. He had to focus. He had some digging to do. Tony closed his eyes and prayed that he was wrong, but his gut told him he was right. The Concubine ring was back. His past had come back and he had no idea what he was going to do about it, but he knew he had to get help. He also knew he had to tell Gibbs; something that he wanted to do for years, but never had the courage to do so. But first things first, he had to make sure of his facts. It was going to become long night, but he would sleep later. For now, he would stay awake. It was the only way to keep the demons at bay that would come and visit him from now on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**BAU – Quantico, Virginia**

**Present Day**

Derek laughed at something that Spencer said and turned when the phone on his desk started to ring. He frowned. It was a D.C. number. “Special Agent Morgan”, he took the small stress ball in his hand and threw it in Spencer’s direction. A scowl appeared on his face and he turned away from his friends, becoming serious.

The call didn’t last long and when it ended, Derek got to his feet.

“Morgan?” Spencer asked in concern.

Derek looked over his shoulder. “Could you get the team together in the boardroom please? I need to talk to Hotch.” He didn’t wait for a reply, but made his way over to the stairs to get to the middle floor. He had his phone against his ear and by the time he knocked on Hotch’s door, the call he made was complete.

Derek knocked once and entered. “May I have a word?” He closed the door behind him.

“It sounds serious.” Aaron closed the file he’d been reading and focused his attention on the senior profiler standing in front of him. “Have a seat.”

Derek shook his head. “We need to take a case and I need you to back me up on this one, Hotch.”

“That’s a bit cryptic, Derek. I need more.” Hotch frowned, his senior agent’s whole body vibrated with tension.

Derek sighed. “I called the team together in the briefing room, please, I’ll explain there.”

Hotch pinched his lips, but then nodded. “Let’s go.” He exited his office first, Derek right on his heels. They found the rest of the team gathered already. He took his seat and looked at Derek.

“Just waiting on Garcia,” Derek spoke up just as their technical analyst hurried into the room.

“You haven’t given me much to work on, Handsome.” She gave him a small smile before she picked up the remote and turned their plasma screen on.

“I know Baby Girl, I’m sorry.” Derek turned his attention to the screen. “During the early nineties, a number of college girls disappeared around the country. The group who took them worked very methodically. They never took more than two girls from the same college and no more than six per state. They also made sure that the girls who disappeared stayed in dormitories and that it wasn’t near any long weekend or coming up to a semester break. That meant that at least a week would go pass before the girl’s family would realize that she was missing. They had the ability to gain entry into the dormitories and pack the belongings of the missing girls, making it look like they left on their own.”

“The Concubine Ring.” Spencer spoke up. “It was said to be the largest human trafficking ring in the States at that time. In fact, it’s still seen as the largest ring. More than twenty of those girls are still missing.”

“Has one of the girls been found?” Rossi leaned forward in his chair. He remembered the case. It was right in the beginning when he and Gideon had started building the BAU. Unfortunately, by the time they got involved, the trafficking ring had been busted. If he remembered correctly, it was done by the NSA.

Derek shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. There’s reason to believe that they might be in operation again. He looked over at Garcia. “Could you get the second part of what I asked for?”

Garcia rolled her eyes. “Am I not the goddess of all things technology? Do you think a simple request of that nature would bury me?”

“Garcia,” Derek sighed, his shoulders slumped forward. The tension in the room became tangible.

Derek?” Rossi asked, concerned.

“I’ll explain just now, David. Just give me a moment.” Derek looked at Garcia and smiled. “I’m sorry, Mama.”

Garcia nodded and took the remote from Derek’s hand. “Both photos are there.” She pressed the button and a photo of a boy appeared on the screen. She pressed the remote again and a second image appeared next to the first.

Derek stared at the two images for a long time before he spoke up. “What few people knew was that when this whole operation was brought to its knees, it was done by a sixteen-year old who blew everything wide open.” Derek indicated to the picture on the left. Meet Antioco Durante. At the age of fourteen he was kidnapped by this same group. He didn’t fit the profile of any of the other abducted victims, but he fit right in with what the ringleader wanted for himself. So, instead of being sold into slavery, he was kept as a personal slave to the leader of the group until he managed to escape two years later. That is also the only photo available of him. It was taken a month after his escape.” The boy in the photo looked more like a twelve-year old, than the sixteen Derek claimed him to be. He didn’t smile, had mousy looking light blond hair and a vacant look in his eyes.

“You know him.” Hotch spoke up for the first time.

Derek looked at his unit boss and nodded his head. “In 1994, I was a baby-faced FBI agent when we were called in to assist with the mop up of the whole nasty ordeal. As the newbie, I got the task of babysitting a possible witness. I was dropped at the local hospital, showed to a room and told to stay there. At that stage I don’t think anyone realized just what an important role this teenager would play in the months to come.”

He looked at the photo again and a small smile graced his features. “Antioco, AD, was malnourished, totally exhausted, physically and sexually abused, mentally tortured, on the brink of breaking, but he held his head high, was well behaved, but didn’t trust a soul. That included all medical personnel. I was there when they had to sedate him just to take care of his injuries and to conduct their initial examination.” Derek sighed. “Long story short, it took me three days before he finally decided that I might not be a threat to him. In that three days, he only took small sips of water and refused to eat anything. What astounded me was the fact that it didn’t seem that the lack of food bothered him. Months later he confided in me that he was only given food once a week. For him, being without food for three days didn’t mean a thing.”

“Poor baby,” Garcia whispered, the emotion clearly audible in her voice.

Derek nodded. “When he was stable enough to be interviewed the head honchos bombarded him with questions and he shut down. They thought they could intimidate him, but after being kept as a slave for two years, being threatened with mere words had no impact on him.” Derek smiled. “I’d seen him looking at me more than once during these so-called interviews and knew there might be a chance of him opening up towards me. I persuaded the _seasoned_ agents to let me have a go at it. By that time, they were desperate and gave me a chance. Two days later and two weeks after AD escaped we knew exactly who were caught, who were rescued, who died and who were sold. We also knew who the ringleaders were and that the main person in custody was the second in command of the ring. Who wasn’t caught was the ringleader – Markus Teel.”

“Orest Maslak, was sentenced to forty-years imprisonment. He was the second in command.” Spencer looked at Derek for confirmation. “I remembered reading about the case. I remembered how proud I felt when I read _witness 0294’s_ testimony. The defense crossed him for almost a week, but he stood his ground, he did not falter once in his testimony.”

“And it’s the only case in history where we managed to keep a witness identity sealed. Outside of his protection unit, the DA and the rest of the prosecution team, only the judge knew what he looked like. His real name was never revealed. Maslak’s defense team tried to get his evidence thrown out, tried to play underhanded games, but nothing worked.” Derek’s shoulders dropped again. “A day after he finished his testimony, and just over a year and a month since he escaped, he was whisked away by the Marshals and I’ve never heard of him again. They didn’t even want to tell me what his new name was.”

“If he was sixteen, what about his family?” JJ asked with a frown.

“AD was better off with Teel, than his own family.” Derek responded with a growl. “Trust me, it wouldn’t take much, even today, to go and put a bullet in the head of AD’s sperm donor. AD didn’t want anything to do with his father. His mother died when he was eight. His father disowned him when he was twelve. It was the boarding school who reported him missing and his father couldn’t give a damn. I helped AD, together with the Marshals, to get himself emancipated before he took on his new identity. The last time I heard AD’s father was sentenced to twenty years for larceny.” 

Hotch looked at the second photo. “What does Agent DiNozzo have to do with this?” It was clear that Morgan didn’t know who the man in the second image was, except that he might know his name if he asked Garcia for a photo.

Derek stared at Hotch. “You know him?”

Rossi snorted and even Hotch cracked a smile. “Yes. He’s the second in command to NCIS’ Major case response team. The team leader is Leroy Jethro Gibbs.”

“And the second _b_ in his name, makes him indeed a bastard.” Rossi piped up. “But, in the same breath, he’s a brilliant investigator. And DiNozzo is even better.”

“I remember”, JJ smiled. “We worked a case with them a year and a half back.” She pointed at Garcia, Spencer and Morgan. Both of you were on leave at the time, so you missed out. Garcia, you were down with the flu. Tony is a real ladies man, but as Rossi said, one brilliant investigator. Although, he hides behind too many masks.”

“And too many people fall for them, including some of his team members.” Rossi shook his head.

“Gibbs sees through him.” Hotch remarked. “Agent DiNozzo will make a brilliant profiler.”

Rossi nodded in agreement and Derek’s eyebrow shot up at the information. For Hotch to say something like that meant Agent DiNozzo was something special.

Spencer got up and walked up close to the screen as his team discussed the person in the second image. He leaned in closer and then stepped back. He didn’t notice that Garcia disappeared from the room. He stared at the screen for a long time. “Garcia”, he turned around and frowned when he saw their tech was missing. “Where?” He stopped talking as she walked in again. She had what looked like two photos in her hand.

“Here you go, Boy genius.” She handed him the photos with a smile.”

With a nod of thanks, Spencer placed the two photos next to one another on the table and stared at them intensively. “Garcia, what do we know of this Agent DiNozzo?”

“I haven’t had a lot of time to gather information on him since Derek also asked. He attended Ohio State, obtained an initial degree in physical education, played basketball and football. Both teams made it to something called the final four, but then in a game against the Michigan Wolverines, his leg got broken by… and I kid you not, Brad Pitt.” Garcia shook her head. “Not Brad Pitt, Brad Pitt, but Brad Pitt, who studied at Michigan and who is a Doctor at Bethesda Hospital in D.C. Agent DiNozzo has been with NCIS for the past eight years. Before that, he was a cop in three different police departments.”

“And prior to that?” Derek inquired.

Spencer shook his head. “Garcia won’t find much.” He looked at his team that stared at him. “AD and this Agent DiNozzo are the same person. His hair is colored. He has a good tan and if I’m not mistaken, he’s wearing colored contacts, but it’s him. His bone structure is still the same. I’m about ninety-eight percent sure it’s the same person.”

“Fuck,” Derek sat down heavily and ran his hand over his face.

“He’s the person that phoned you before you called us all together.” Spencer stated the fact to his friend.

Derek grunted in response. He lowered his hand and looked at the team; his family. “A person called and introduced himself as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. He requested the BAU’s help in a matter which involved a human trafficking ring. He said it was the same 90’s ring, Concubine. He ended the call by asking for my help personally. He called me _‘Wildcat’_. It was the same nickname AD gave me after I told him I attended Northwestern University on a football scholarship. No one else called me that, ever.”

The team remained silent. Finally, Hotch spoke up. “Did he send you any information on the case?”

Derek shook his head, but then his Smartphone signaled an incoming email and he reached for it. It was an email to his office account and it contained a document with attachments. The note was short and he knew he would have to look at it again. Instead, he sent the attachments to Garcia. “He just sent it through.”

Garcia looked at the attachments and opened them up. They contained different case notes as well as photos. All the photos were of young women between the ages of nineteen and twenty-five. There were twelve photos. “It seems like they all disappeared in the last four months. Once again, they were not linked together due to the fact that they were taken from different states. But, it seems like Agent DiNozzo is of the opinion that they are linked together as he noted all the similarities between these disappearances and the old ones.” Garcia opened another file. It contained two photos. “Seaman Alice Cooper’s body was found dumped three days ago after she failed to report for duty a week ago. The autopsy showed that she was restrained, beaten up and shot. A part of what seemed to be a tracker chip was found under her left armpit. He underlined this fact three times.” She put the typed note on the screen for the team to see as well.

Derek got to his feet. “It’s the same group.” He turned to Hotch. “It was the one thing we managed to keep out of the court proceedings. All of the missing college girls were tagged with a tracking chip under the left armpit. The chances of another ring doing the same thing are almost zero.”

“Zero point zero seven four percent to be exact.” Spencer supplied the information. “We are all well aware that every gang, or serial killer out there has his or their own signature. In this instance, the implant under the left armpit is this group’s signature mark. If this was kept out of the media, and it’s being used now again, I’m with Derek, it’s the same group.”

Hotch looked at Rossi. A silent conversation took place between them before he nodded his head. He looked at his watch. It was well past eight at night. “We’ll head out tomorrow morning at eight. I need to run this by Cruz in the morning first, but I don’t think he’ll have a problem with us taking on this matter.”

The team piled out of the briefing room while Spencer stayed back with Derek. “There was something else in the email Agent DiNozzo sent you.”

Derek smiled. It didn’t surprise him one second that Spencer picked up on that. “Yes. He said he was sorry to drag me into this mess again.” Derek took a deep breath. “He also said he was proud of me. It seems like he followed my career closely.”

“He went into law enforcement because of you.” Spencer smiled. “It also meant that although he kept his new identity, he left the Witsec program. He took a great risk.”

“I got to know him in that year, it was a difficult journey for him, but he never gave up. Don’t get me wrong, he had his bad days and they were pretty bad, but he kept his head and he plowed through them. If he decided that he didn’t like you, there wasn’t a chance in hell that you would get to know the real AD. And he was as stubborn as a mule. He didn’t get the opportunity to complete high school and after what he’d been through he wouldn’t fit back into the milieu again. For him to have gone to college meant he got his GED like he said he would. Another thing he did all on his own.”

Spencer picked up the printed file Garcia gave to him and read through the information it obtained on the special agent. “He has three degrees, the one she told us about, one in psychology and a master’s degree in criminology. He’s busy with his master’s in forensic psychology.” Spencer cocked his head. “By the look of things, he’s very well versed in undercover work as well. He took down one of the major Mob families in Baltimore when he worked there. He’s fluent in Italian and Spanish.” Spencer closed the file. “Are you going to phone him? I see Garcia got hold of his cell phone number as well.”

Derek shrugged and then shook his head. “I’ll see him tomorrow. Tonight, I think I need to sort things out in my head first.”

Spencer clapped his friend on the back and exited the room.

Derek stared at the file Spencer left behind. It was opened to the agent’s photo. He never forgot that young boy, and it seemed like that young boy, who now turned out to be a stunning man, never forgot about him too. He had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be a long and hard day. Not only for him, but more so for AD. Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. The name fit the man in the photo. As he looked at the photo, Derek could feel the protectiveness he felt towards the young boy all those years ago, surge up inside of him. He would make sure that this time around, AD came away less scarred than the first time around. Even if it was the last thing he did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Tony’s Apartment**

**Following morning**

The scream died on Tony’s lips as he shot up in bed. He was covered in sweat, his legs tangled in the sheets. His stomach turned and he just had enough time to lean over the side of the bed before he heaved up the meager contents of his stomach. Tony continued to be violently ill for a few minutes and then dry heaved. After a couple of minutes, he managed to sag back against his pillows. He shivered hard, his eyes were teary and his nose was blocked. He was still breathing too fast and knew that if he didn’t get his breathing under control he was going to pass out again. “Come on, Tony, get it together.” He whispered hoarsely to himself and closed his eyes, focusing only on his breathing and nothing more. It took him a long while, but finally he was no longer on the verge of passing out and he sat back up. He groaned at the throbbing of his head and glared at the alarm clock next to the bed. “Fuck,” he stumbled out of bed, nearly stepping into the mess he made earlier and by a miracle he didn’t land on his face as he tripped over the sheets that still held him captive in his bed. He reached for his phone, but then decided against it. The moment Gibbs heard his voice the older man would know something was wrong, and Tony wasn’t able to deal with that. He’d promised to be back at work today. He would rather take the head slap for being late than make Gibbs worry about him further. He couldn’t be seen to be weak, not now.

It had been a long three days and yesterday evening he managed to make the call. It was so much harder than he thought it would be. But, he had managed to keep it together and tell the FBI agent what he knew. He called Derek, Wildcat. It was the only way he could let Agent Morgan know that what he told him was the truth. Tony couldn’t help and wonder how long it would take the BAU to come knocking on NCIS’ door. They would, of that he was sure. How Gibbs dealt with what he’d done, he had no idea. He only hoped that Gibbs didn’t see it as betrayal. That is the one thing he’d never be able to do.

Tony leaned against the shower wall as the scalding water rained down on his head and travelled down his chest and back. He shivered despite the heat. It had been three days since he last felt warm. He knew it was all in his mind, but he had no idea how to switch off the coldness inside of him. Tony wondered if he would feel warm ever again. He sighed and his mind wandered to the information he found. The information he didn’t want there to be, but the moment he started looking he found it and there was no turning back.

He didn’t go to bed that first night, instead he stayed awake, combing through missing persons reports. He concentrated on those areas surrounding large colleges, knowing the ring would not target a small local college where most of the students are known. They would use the larger college grounds to blend in. To watch over their potential victims, to get to know their routines. To worm themselves into their lives before they struck. Before another young college student disappeared into nothingness. To be sold on the black market as a sex slave, if they were lucky, they would end up dead. It was terrible to think about it like that, but the alternative to death was worse. They would become objects, have no rights, be violated to their inner core and would never be heard of again. Death was easier.

The following morning, Tony phoned Gibbs and told him he must be coming down with something. At least he sounded bad enough for the fib to be believed. On Gibbs’ orders, he stayed home. He’d managed to avoid Ducky, saying he visited his own physician and that he had the flu and was on bed rest. He duly answered the phone each time, Ducky, Gibbs or Jimmy called. In a sense, their calls kept him sane, at the same time it became harder for him not to break down. Especially since he realized how long the Concubine ring had been back in the States. He found sixteen missing students and he had a feeling there might be even more. That second night the nightmares he’d suffered before came back with a vengeance. Now, he could only sleep for a period of an hour, an hour and a half at the most, before he would wake up screaming like he did this morning. Tony finished in the shower and stepped out. He managed to shave without looking into the mirror. He didn’t want to see himself. He didn’t want to see the guilt he felt etched into his features. It was his fault that they were back. He should’ve done more to stop them the first time. The mirror shattered beneath his hand, the large shards of glass falling into the basin but he didn’t care. He looked down at the shard that pierced his skin. Not a sound escaped from his lips as he yanked the glass out. He washed the blood off and wrapped it up in a towel. He needed to get dressed and then he would bind the cut. It wasn’t that bad.

As he buttoned up his waistcoat, his laptop chimed up. With trepidation, Tony tapped at the keyboard and the screen came to life. The search he’d run picked up another thirteen missing young college students. The total now stood at thirty. Tony’s legs gave way and he landed heavily on his couch. He could only stare at the screen, his body needing comfort as he gently started rocking himself. Tony had no idea how long he stayed like that before he became aware of his surroundings. His hand throbbed and he looked down at it. Blood had soaked through the bandage. He would have to change it before he headed out. With difficulty, Tony got to his feet. He packed up his laptop with all the notes he made, grabbed his keys and headed out of his apartment. Injured hand forgotten, it was time to face the music. To confess that it was his fault.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Navy Yard – NCIS**

Something told Gibbs to look up when the elevator dinged. The double doors slid open and a group of people stepped out. He frowned. It wasn’t just a group of people, it was a group of Feds. Normally it was only Fornell who trampled their doorstep, so it was a strange sight. What made it even weirder was the fact that it was the BAU team. Gibbs got to his feet.

He nodded his thanks to the security guard who escorted the group to the bullpen. “SSA Hotchner,” Gibbs greeted the unit chief with another nod of the head.

“Supervisory Agent Gibbs,” Hotch closed the distance between them and offered his hand. The handshake they shared was brief but strong. Hotch looked around. Agent DiNozzo was absent and the two junior agents were gaping at them with twin frowns on their faces.

“What brings you to NCIS, Agent Hotchner?” Gibbs asked, his gut churned. Something was up, but he had no idea what it could be.

“Is there somewhere private we can talk?”

Gibbs stared at the other man before he finally nodded. “This way.” He led them towards the stairs. He would’ve loved to have this conversation in the elevator, but it would be a tight fit for all of them. Instead, the conference room would have to do.

“Where’s your second in command, Agent Gibbs?” Hotch asked as they started up the stairs. A snicker from downstairs made him halt in his tracks.

“Anything you want to say, Ziva?” Gibbs snapped.

Ziva smirked and shrugged her shoulders. “It amuses me that every time the FBI shows up Tony is in trouble. I can’t help but to wonder who he killed this time.”

Before either Gibbs or Hotchner could say anything, JJ spoke up. “As far as I know Agent DiNozzo has an exemplary record with more than one commendation and has not been charged or convicted of killing anyone before, or even now.” She kept her eyes locked on Ziva.

A quick smile appeared on Gibbs’ face, but it didn’t stay long. “Do your work, Ziva.” His eyes landed on McGee. “Where’s my information, McGee? Get to it.” He barked out the order and turned away from them. He ushered the group of agents into the conference room and closed the door behind him. “If you’re here to accuse Tony of any crime, you’ll have to get through me first.”

“Well, at least he seems to care for Agent DiNozzo.”

Gibbs’ head snapped up at the voice. “Tony is my second in command, and the best young agent I’ve ever worked with. I will always have his six.”

Rossi held up his hand and then turned to Gibbs. “Good to see you again, Gibbs.” He greeted the man with a firm handshake. He turned to Morgan. “This is SSA Derek Morgan and that is Doctor Spencer Reid. They were both on leave the last time our paths crossed.”

Gibbs nodded in Morgan’s direction and his eyebrow shot up when the doctor waved at him. If it wasn’t for the large Smith & Wesson revolver at his side, he wouldn’t have pegged him for an FBI agent.

“I do, however, have to ask again, Agent Gibbs, where is Agent DiNozzo?” Hotch inquired again as he took a seat at the large table. His team followed his example. He didn’t fail to notice that when Gibbs sat down, he took a seat so that he faced the only door to the room. He could see that Gibbs was aware of what was going on around him. Hotch couldn’t find fault with that.

Gibbs smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Not until you tell me why are you looking for him.” He leaned back in his chair.

Hotch sighed and then nodded towards Derek. It seemed like they were going to have to do things the hard way. He hoped that in the end Agent Gibbs would understand.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Ziva waited for the last of the group to disappear into the conference room before she turned her attention to McGee. “What is that about?”

McGee shrugged. “I don’t know, Ziva and by the look on Gibbs’ face, he didn’t know either.” He stared at the door the group disappeared into.

“Then do something, McGee. Find out.” Ziva ordered and crossed her arms in front of her. She hated being kept in the dark and she had a feeling that something big was going to go down and that it would most likely involve DiNozzo. “It has to be about Tony, what else can it be?” She voiced her thoughts out loud. “Being off sick? Do you believe that, McGee for one second?” She shook her head. “No, he’s off somewhere, doing something incompetent while we’re stuck here doing all the work.” She huffed out of frustration.

“And what do you want me to do, Ziva?” McGee threw his arms in the air.

“You’re the genius, can’t you do something so that we can at least hear what is being said in there?” She indicated to McGee’s computer and to the door of the conference room.

“You want me to spy on, Gibbs?” McGee shook his head. “Are you crazy, Ziva? We are already so far up shit’s creek that it’s going to take a lifetime to get out of it and now you want me to hack into the comm system so that we can hear what they are saying? No. I’m not doing it.” McGee indicated to the papers strewn all over his desk. “We’ve got work to do.” He sat down behind his desk.

Ziva huffed and rolled her eyes. “You will always remain in DiNozzo’s shadow, McGee.” She turned around and took a seat behind her own desk. She hated Anthony DiNozzo and wished her father would give her the go ahead to take him out. It was something that was supposed to have been done long ago. Instead, they got rid of Todd. It didn’t’ get them anywhere, except that Ari lost his life. Maybe it was time to go ahead with her own plans. She grinned. She would apply Gibbs’ rule #18 – It’s better to ask forgiveness than ask permission. Her father would praise her in the end. She would finally get the recognition from him that she deserved.

Ziva’s words stung. McGee could feel the blush spread down his face and his neck. She was right. He would always be inferior to Tony even if he was the better agent. Hell, even the Director thought so. McGee made up his mind. Without letting on that he was doing something illegal, he managed to hack into the security system for the conference room and remotely turned the sound system on in the room. As there was no way of playing it out loud in the bullpen, he started to record it. He would find the time for himself and Ziva to listen at the conversation later on. It was the best he could do.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

“Last night I was contacted by Agent DiNozzo in regards to a murder case you’re investigating at the moment.” Derek spoke up. He took out a file and shifted it towards Gibbs. He waited for the older man to pick it up before he continued. “Agent DiNozzo asked the BAU to come in and assist with the investigation in this matter.”

Gibbs took the file, but didn’t open it up. Instead, he kept his attention on the agent as he continued to talk. “Tony would not do something like that, would you like to try again, Agent Morgan?”

“Gibbs,” Rossi spoke up. “He did. Just listen to what we’ve got to tell you. It’s important.”

Gibbs glared at the man to his right, but he finally nodded in agreement. He stayed perched on the edge of his seat.

Derek opened up his own copy of the file. He did it more out of getting Gibbs to open up his, than needing to read from it. He knew it word for word. He took a deep breath. “In 1994 a human trafficking ring was exposed and some of the top members were brought to justice.” He tapped on the photo of Orest Maslak. “This man was the second in command and because of the testimony of a sixteen-year old, he’s still serving hard time.” Morgan was not prepared to go through the whole file with Gibbs. The man could read and if he was invested in Tony he would make sure he got to know the contents of the file.

“The Concubine ring. I know about it.” Gibbs closed the file again.

“What you do not know, unless you were part of the inner circle of the investigating team was that one important bit of information was kept out of the trial and out of the media.”

Gibbs’ arched an eyebrow but remained quiet.

Derek looked at Hotch and then pushed on. “All of the kidnapped college girls were tagged with a microchip. That chip was placed underneath the skin of the left armpit.”

Gibbs frowned. “Are you saying our Seaman Cooper was taken by a trafficking ring?” Another question burned at the back of his head. But, it wasn’t one he could voice out loud.

“We’re saying it’s the _same_ ring.”

“Are you not reaching a conclusion a bit premature?” Gibbs leaned back in his chair. “She’s the only victim.”

Reid spoke up before Morgan could. “Since we’ve been contacted last night, our technical analyst has been gathering info on missing college girls. As of yesterday evening, a total of twenty missing college girls might be linked to this ring. At this moment information is still coming in, but we are almost one hundred percent sure the ring is back up and running. We’ve already contacted all of the police departments where the girls have been reported missing and we’re awaiting their files to be forwarded to us.”

Gibbs looked at the young man. He made him think of McGee, but with much more confidence and experience. Also, a lot nerdier, but it worked for him. “Except for the microchip connection what do you have that links our dead Seaman to your missing college girls?”

Morgan pulled out a photo and showed it to Gibbs. “Seaman Cooper was last seen at a nightclub here in D.C. This girl, Angie Franklin was also last seen at the same nightclub. Seaman Cooper turned up dead, and she’s still missing. For us, that is enough to link the two cases.”

Gibbs had to agree. There was a great possibility that the two cases might indeed be connected. He looked at the faces around the table. They were all staring at him, wanting him to make the next move. “I still don’t know why DiNozzo called you in. We’re more than capable in handling this case.” He wasn’t arrogant, he knew himself, he knew Tony. They were good enough to crack this case. He knew with McGee’s and Ziva’s attitude, that he wouldn’t be able to bring them in on this case. It would be counterproductive. He and Tony would have to do all of the work themselves. It wouldn’t be the first time that they worked as a two-man team, but he still had that nickeling feeling that he was missing something. Something huge. The fact that his gut kept on turning, told him he was right to worry.

Morgan closed his eyes. It was as if he could see the cogs turning in Gibbs’ mind. Unfortunately, he had no idea how the man would react when he finally fit the pieces together.

“Tony,” Gibbs came to his feet. “Tony was sixteen in 1994.” So were millions of other children all over the world. But, it was Agent Morgan’s words that were stuck in his head. _‘The testimony of a sixteen-year old.’_ “He knows I wouldn’t be impartial if we take on this case on our own.” Gibbs legs gave way and he sat down heavily on the chair. “How long?”

“Two years.” Rossi had risen to his feet and handed Gibbs a glass of water. He had a feeling the other man would’ve appreciated something a bit stronger, but it was all that he had.

Gibbs couldn’t keep the tremble from his hand as he took a sip of the offered water. He always knew that Tony’s past was dark, but he never expected this. He frowned. “I didn’t even know he knew you, Agent Morgan.”

“We knew one another a long time ago, but lost contact.” He would not tell Gibbs how he knew Tony, that was Tony’s story to tell.

Gibbs knew that there was something Morgan wasn’t telling him, but he left it alone. “I still want in.”

Hotch nodded. “We’re not here to take it over, it will be a joint operation.” He looked around the room. “Are you now willing to tell us where Agent DiNozzo is, Agent Gibbs?”

Gibbs cocked his head and then another puzzle piece slid in place. “You think he’s still in danger.” He got to his feet and at the same time reached for his phone. Tony should’ve been here almost an hour ago. Tony had never been late without letting him know. His gut churned again.

“Yes, there is a possibility, but on the other hand, his new identity isn’t known. For them to stumble across him, is highly unlikely.” Spencer spoke up.

Gibbs grunted in reply. He was not getting Tony on the phone. “So what else do you want?”

“He’s got all the information on how the ring operates.” JJ responded quietly.

“You want to use him.” Gibbs snarled, he lifted his gaze from his phone to stare at the FBI team in the room.

“I want to keep him safe.” Derek came to his feet. “I know what he went through, I know what he must’ve felt when he realized what you were dealing with. I will not let any harm come to him.

Gibbs stared at the team. “I will not let _any_ of you harm, Tony.

“Not one of us will harm Agent DiNozzo, Agent Gibbs. On that I give you my word.” Hotchner responded calmly.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Tony punched the up button in the elevator and wished the door closed. Two of the security guards at the entrance asked if he was okay. He’d plastered a fake smile on his face and hoped he’d fooled them. He had to make it to the bullpen and get behind his desk then everything would be all right. For now, in any case.

His hand throbbed as he exited the metallic box. Tony heaved his go-bag higher up his back and shoved his sunglasses down his nose. He would take them off once he was at his desk. It was just another way to ignore those who might attempt to talk to him.

Tony made his way over to his desk. He could feel both McGee and Ziva’s stares directed his way, but he tried to ignore them. He stowed his firearm and credentials in the drawer and chucked his bag at the back of his desk. He reached for the power switch on his desktop when Ziva spoke up.

“You’re late.”

Tony slowly removed his sunglasses and folded them up. He managed not to jerk when he saw the bloodied bandage around his hand. He couldn’t believe that he didn’t clean it up. If he wanted to remain in control of this situation he would have to make sure that he stayed in the present. Drifting off and forgetting stuff like a bleeding hand would not convince anyone that he was fine. Tony placed his hand on the desk and leaned forward, shielding the arm with his body. He would go and take care of the problem the minute he got Ziva off his back. “I don’t report to you, Ziva. Whether I’m late or not, is not your concern.” He kept his gaze focused on her. “Don’t you have work to do?” He looked at the files that were scattered all over her desk.

Ziva snorted. “And I don’t report to you. Why are you late?” She got to her feet and sauntered to his desk.

Tony wanted to roll his eyes, instead he took a deep breath and calmed himself. “You seem to forget the little talk you had with Gibbs the other day, Ziva. Wasn’t it made clear to you that I am second in command and you _do_ report to me.”

Ziva leaned back on her heels and laughed. “He was coddling you so that you didn’t get your panties in a twist. He didn’t mean any of it, but Gibbs is so tired of your moaning and bitching that he had to say something to make you to shut up.” She leaned over the desk, getting right into Tony’s personal space.

McGee’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he heard Ziva’s words. “Ziva,” he hissed, looking around to make sure no one saw her power display. For a moment, he couldn’t believe his ears. Ziva was taking it way too far.

Ziva grinned and moved back. “Don’t worry, McGee, Tony won’t say anything. With the FBI on his case again, I’m quite certain that this time around they’ll get him fired and this team can start to work, without him being the class clown.”

Tony had to reign in his rage at Ziva’s words. It was as if the ex-Mossad officer lost her head with her open hostility towards him. He was about to take her on when her last words penetrated his tired brain. “What FBI?” He had to grip the edge of his desk hard to remain upright.

Ziva sneered. She’d noticed the blood draining from Tony’s face. It was enough in her mind to believe him to be guilty in whatever crime the FBI had him linked to. “You didn’t know? They’re with Gibbs in the conference room. I have a feeling your days as an agent is numbered, Tony.” She gave him a sweet smile. “Want me to let Gibbs know you’re here?” She reached for the phone on Tony’s desk. Her hand never reached the receiver.

She snarled and looked up. “Let me go.”

“I don’t think so, Ziva.” Jimmy Palmer visibly swallowed, but kept his eyes locked on her. “I don’t know who you think you are, Ziva, but I will not let you threaten or treat Tony in such a manner.” Jimmy tried to get a look at his friend, but Tony stood there as if he was frozen in place. His color was ash gray and he could clearly see how Tony trembled.

“And what are you going to do, Palmer? Stop me?” Ziva quickly pulled her hand away, her other hand reaching for one of her knives in the same movement.

“He might not, but I will.” A cold voice spoke up behind them. “You never figured out how Gibbs knows what is being said in the bullpen have you, Ziva?” A grin appeared on his face. “The skylight,” he indicated to the ceiling. “They create an acoustic tunnel which allows sound to be bounced around the bullpen. You need to be standing at the right place at the right time, just as I was standing right now. I heard every last word, David and I will not tolerate a good agent, like DiNozzo being threatened by the likes of you. I might no longer be the director of this office, but I’m high up enough in the food chain to tell you, you’ve ended your career. The security will escort you off the premises, I will personally take this up with Director Vance.” Tom Morrow stepped back and two burly security guards stepped forward.

Ziva wanted to object, to fight, but the whole floor was staring at her. She wouldn’t make a scene, but it wasn’t the end. With her head held high she stormed off, her mind already racing on how to make sure she came out of this as the victim.

“Agent DiNozzo, Tony?” Tom Morrow gently touched the younger man’s arm and held up his hands to show he meant no trouble when Tony yanked his arm back. He had an expression on his face that Tom could only described as pure panic. “You all right, Tony?” He asked, but wasn’t surprised when he received no answer. He stepped back when Tony moved forward, not wanting to make the man feel trapped.

“Tony?” Jimmy tried, but got no response. Instead, Tony seemed unsteady on his feet as he moved around his desk. Jimmy frowned as he noticed the blood on Tony’s desk for the first time. “You’re bleeding.” He tried to stop his friend, but Tony ducked out of his reach and continued on walking. It was as if he wasn’t aware of what was going on around him.

Tony moved up the stairs. He was too late. Gibbs was going to hate him. He never wanted his mentor, the man he considered as a father figure to find out about is sordid past like this. He wanted to explain, but he’d underestimated the speed with which the BAU got here. He could hear Jimmy calling out to him, but he couldn’t turn back and smile. He wasn’t able to turn around and tell his young friend that everything was fine. It wasn’t fine. It would never be fine again. Tony stumbled over his own feet as he stepped up to the last step. He reached out with his hand to stop his fall and landed hard against the conference door. Before he could right himself the door opened and he found himself inside.

“DiNozzo, Tony? You all right?” Gibbs asked in concern and reached out to his second in command.

Tony recoiled from him so fast that he once again tripped over his own feet and stumbled against the door. He stopped himself with his injured hand, leaving a bloody print on the door.

“You’re bleeding.” Gibbs slowed down his movements and this time managed to take Tony by the arm and lead him to the nearest chair. “Tony?” He asked again and lifted Tony’s chin with his hand. The expression on Tony’s face made his own knees buckle. “Fuck,” Gibbs dragged his hand over his face and then placed his hand at the back of Tony’s head, pulling him against his chest. “It’s going to be all right. I promise you, Tony. It’s going to be all right.”

Tony sagged against Gibbs’ chest, the last of the energy he had in him, left him rapidly. His eyes felt heavy and he wanted to sleep. “Sorry, Gibbs. I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you, I didn’t want you to find out like this. Please, I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me, please. I’m sorry.” He continued to mumble the words even as someone took hold of his hand and applied pressure to the bleeding limb. He was unaware of the movement around him, only concentrating on the man right in front of him. The one that he needed to know wasn’t angry with him. Wouldn’t judge him for what had happened in the past.

“Nothing to be sorry about, Tony. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Gibbs kept Tony against him as Agent Morgan wrapped Tony’s hand in a towel and Palmer with Tom Morrow on his heels entered the room. He saw another side of the timid medical examiner’s assistant, as Jimmy gave orders and before he knew it paramedics entered the room and Tony was placed on a gurney, ready to be pushed out. Not once did he let go and not once did Tony stop asking for forgiveness.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Leon Vance stepped out of his office and looked on at the scene before him. A team of paramedics had one of his agents on a gurney, and from what he could see it looked like Agent DiNozzo. For a moment, he wondered what the fool of a man had done, but then he saw the look on Agent Gibbs’ face and it made him wonder. Never before in his life had he seen that expression on Gibbs’ face. Leon wanted to speak up, to ask what was going on, but then someone stepped into his line of sight and he frowned. “Tom?”

“Leon,” Tom greeted the man next to him as he looked on as the paramedics disappeared around the corner. “I’ve had your ex-Mossad officer escorted from the building.” He said as he stepped backwards, making it clear that he wanted Leon to move back into his office.

“What?” Vance bristled with anger. “You’ve got no right to do that. You might have been the director, but unless you’d forgotten, you no longer are.”

“Correct, but I am Deputy Director of Homeland Security and have high enough clearance to remove a threat to one of your agents when I see it and that’s what I have done.” He indicated to the conference table in Leon’s office. “I think it’s time you and I had a chat, Leon.” He took a seat and smiled when Leon bit the toothpick he had in his mouth into pieces.

Leon sighed. “Why do I have the feeling you’re about to make my life more complicated.” He indicated to the different carafes on the shelf. “You want one?”

“I’ll take one, and make sure you get yourself a double, Leon, you’re going to need it.” Tom placed his briefcase on the table and opened it up. “This is highly confidential, and if it wasn’t for the fact that I received a call from my good friend David Rossi, and that you need to know about this now, I wouldn’t have shared it with you.” He ignored the look the other man gave him. He pulled out a file and placed it in front of the NCIS director and took the tumbler held out to him.

“What is this?” Leon opened the file and stared at a photo of what looked like a teenage boy that was clearly abused. He had no idea of knowing, but it was the same photo, Gibbs saw a while earlier.

“That is Antiono Durante. Twenty years ago, he was responsible for bringing down the biggest human trafficking ring here in the US – the Concubine ring.” Tom tapped on the photo. “You know this young man.” He continued even as Leon shook his head. “This is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo.”

Leon blanched at the words and took a swig of his drink. “I guess you should start at the beginning.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

McGee looked on as security followed closely behind Ziva as she stormed from the bullpen. His mind didn’t want to process what his eyes saw and what his ears heard. Ziva had lost the plot. He could feel himself blush. _He_ had lost the plot. He stepped back and landed hard in his chair. It wasn’t supposed to go this far. He wanted… McGee shook his head. That was the problem. He only thought about himself. Shame filled him. For the first time in a long while he looked inward and saw what he’d become. He was a disgrace. He looked up and nearly gasped when he saw the blood on Tony’s desk. Tony was bleeding and he didn’t even notice it. He should’ve noticed it immediately. Disgust filled him, bile formed in his throat and he had to swallow hard not to lose it right there. McGee lowered his head in his hands. “Fuck.”

“Looks like you’re finally coming to your senses, Agent McGee.”

McGee looked up, his eyes still large and he nodded. “I royally fucked up.”

“You did. You’ve got a long road ahead of you to make it right. That is now if you want to.”

McGee nodded. “I have to.” He snorted. “She played me like a fool and I fell for it. Hook, line and sinker.” He looked up to the level above him. “Tony.”

“Will be taken care off, you need to make sure your head is out of your ass and get it together. The sooner the better.”

McGee nodded. “You’re right.”

Fornell smiled. “I usually am, just don’t tell Gibbs that.” He sighed. “Start getting your ducks in a row, McGee. Be prepared to feel a ton of bricks hitting you at a high velocity speed. Because that is going to happen. If you want to stay part of this team, you’ll have to stand strong. Unfortunately for you, McGee, it’s going to get worse before it can become better.”

McGee swallowed. “How did you know?” It wasn’t as if the man were in their presence each and every day.

“A blind man could see the animosity you felt towards, Tony. You’ve been doing it for so long that it didn’t even bother you that other people could see what you were doing. Fix it.”

“I will.”

“Good.” Fornell closed the distance between them and pulled McGee by the shirt to his chest. “If you don’t, Agent McGee, I will personally make your life a living hell.” He stepped back and adjusted his tie. “Consider this as your only warning.” Without waiting for a reply, Fornell turned around and made his way up the stairs leaving a flustered McGee behind.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Bethesda Hospital**

Derek sat on the hard chair in the waiting room. His legs stretched out before him, a cup of coffee in his hands. He looked up as hurried footsteps entered the room. He smiled when he saw it was his “Baby Girl”.

“You know I hate hospitals, Sugar. And yet, once again we found ourselves in one.” Garcia shivered slightly before she took a seat next to Derek.

“Thanks for coming, Mama. Hopefully we won’t be here for too long.” He answered as he placed his cup on the floor and swung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

Garcia nodded her head. “I found the information you wanted.”

“Is it that bad?”

Garcia sighed dramatically. “It’s worse. I can’t believe she’s an agent. After all that happened with her around, I wouldn’t let her near any Federal Agency. I’m not a profiler or a psychologist, but she’s not stable, Chocolate. To me, she seems like a danger to society. A walking time bomb.”

Derek cringed. If Garcia felt that someone was unstable, it must be bad. She always tried to see the good in another person. “Did you send the info to my tablet?”

“Yes, and I sent copies to the rest of the team as well.” Garcia gave him a small smile. “The fact that we’re here at the hospital makes me think you didn’t even get an opportunity to talk to Agent DiNozzo. Do you know what happened?”

Derek lowered his head. “It’s been a crazy morning, Garcia.” He quickly described what had happened at the NCIS offices. “He looked so lost. He looked like the first time I saw him all those years ago. That same emptiness in his eyes. He was full of self-loathing. Begging Agent Gibbs for forgiveness, for something that wasn’t his fault. Something that could never be his fault.”

Garcia hugged her best friend hard, but remained silent. Both of them looked up when someone cleared their throat.

“I hope I’m not interrupting.” A lanky young man with glasses entered the room.

“Not at all.” Derek released Garcia and smiled. “You’re the one who barked out the orders so quickly earlier. I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.” Derek reached out with a handshake. “I’m SSA Derek Morgan and this is the BAU’s own technological genius, Penelope Garcia.”

“Jimmy Palmer, assistant to NCIS ME, Doctor Mallard.” Jimmy smiled brightly.

“And a good friend to AD.” Derek held up his hand when he saw the confused look on the younger man’s face. “Sorry, I meant Tony.” He didn’t explain why he called Tony another name.

Jimmy nodded. He let the strange name slide. He knew what a complicated man Tony was, it was not his place to ask questions. “Tony is a terrific man. He always takes the time out to ask how you are doing and never hesitates to give assistance where needed. It’s an honor to call him my friend.”

Derek smiled, but then got serious again. “Do you know how Tony’s is doing?”

Jimmy’s shoulders sagged. “They’ve stitched up the wound and they’re keeping him overnight. He’s lost a fair amount of blood and he’s extremely dehydrated. Doctor Pitt also deemed it necessary to sedate Tony so that he can get some proper rest.”

“Is that Doctor Brad Pitt?” Garcia asked with excitement. “It’s strange how there is a Doctor Brad Pitt and an actor named Brad Pitt.”

Jimmy nodded in agreement. He wanted to ask her how she knew about Doctor Pitt when Gibbs and the other man he learned to be Agent Hotchner stepped into the waiting room.

“You did good, Palmer.” Gibbs spoke up first.

Jimmy shuffled around uncomfortably, although he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. It wasn’t every day that the legendary Jethro Gibbs hand out compliments. Finally, he found his voice. “Thank you, Agent Gibbs.”

“Garcia, you’re needed back at the office, Rossi is waiting for you downstairs.” Hotch looked at his senior agent. “You staying?”

“Yes.” Morgan kept his gaze on Agent Gibbs almost urging him to challenge his decision. There was something about the older man’s abrupt attitude that rubbed him the wrong way.

Gibbs grunted. “Then we’ll both need some more coffee.” He indicated to the empty cup Derek still had in his hand. “First round on me.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned around and marched out.

Garcia snickered. “I have a feeling you’ve met your match when it comes to drinking coffee.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then collected her bag. “I’m available when you need me. Just pick up the phone. You know which number to dial.” She gave a small wave and quickly walked away.

“Wow!” Jimmy exclaimed and then blushed a deep red. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just she is so vibrant. It’s scary.”

Derek laughed out loud and even Hotch managed to crack a smile.

“I need to go before Doctor Mallard starts looking for me and makes me mop the floors.” Jimmy smiled at the two men. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I have a feeling you’ll have Tony’s back and for that I’m grateful. He needs more people in his corner.” With that, Jimmy also left the waiting room, leaving the two FBI agents alone.

“You and Agent Gibbs will be here tonight, Morgan. We’ll make other arrangements from tomorrow.” Hotch leaned against the pillar.

Morgan nodded. “I was thinking that I could stay on if we don’t pick up a case, Hotch.”

“You need to reconnect with him.” Hotch stepped away from the pillar. “I can understand that, but be careful, Morgan. Agent DiNozzo is definitely not the same teenager you knew all those years ago.”

“I understand that, Hotch, but I also think that I’m the only one who’d have some sort of inkling of what he’s going through. I want to be there for him.”

“It’s good. But if he pushes you away, Morgan, give him space. Don’t push him back. I don’t think that will end well. That, and I do think that Agent Gibbs might skin you alive.” Hotch ended with a smile.

Derek nodded seriously. “I will, Hotch.” He cocked his head. “What’s your take on Agent Gibbs?”

Hotch shook his head. “That he is indeed a hardened Marine. An agent that doesn’t take nonsense and uses the second B in his name far too much. But, he seems to care for Agent DiNozzo. I think he’ll be the one to ground Agent DiNozzo the most and in the long haul that would be the best.” He smiled. “In short, Morgan, you should play nice, but be prepared for a Marine who might also play dirty.”

“So true,” a voice spoke up behind him and both men turned to see the man they were discussing standing at their backs. “I will not hesitate to play dirty when I feel it’s in the best interest of DiNozzo, Agent Morgan. I don’t know you, and you might have known Tony, but that was years ago and until I see, or he tells me that he trusts you, I will be lurking. Tony is the son I never had and I might give him a hard time when we work cases, but he means the world to me and I will do everything in my power to protect him.”

“And that, is the most I’ve ever heard you talk, Gibbs.” Hotch shook his head. “I’ll leave the two of you to hash things out. Just don’t kill one another. Garcia will be updating you whenever she gets more information. My team will be at your office tomorrow morning to fill you in on the rest of the cases we think might be linked with yours.” Hotch then clapped Derek on the shoulder and left.

Morgan took the coffee offered to him and sipped. Immediately he wanted to spit it out again, but there was no way he would be giving the Marine across from him the satisfaction of seeing how terrible the brew tasted. Instead, he swallowed it quickly. The fact that it nearly burned his throat as it went down and made his eyes tear up got ignored. “You’ve got some serious problems going on in your team, Agent Gibbs.”

Gibbs eyed the agent. The man didn’t even know half of it. He still couldn’t believe the information Tom Morrow told him. If he got hold of Ziva, he would personally wring her neck. He was glad that it was Tom who witnessed that scene. Not even Vance could now do anything about it. Not that he thought the man would. He knew the relationship the Director had with Elli David had soured the past year and he now longer held the Mossad Director in such high esteem. It was time for Ziva to go back home. It was for the best.

Morgan leaned back in the hard chair. “Yes, I don’t have any reason to stick my nose in your team’s business, but then on the other hand, if you want to catch this ring, your team needs to bring their best to the table. And from what I saw this morning, that’s not going to happen.”

“Tony and myself are the best. You don’t have to worry about that.” Gibbs threw his already emptied cup away and moved to the door.

“I didn’t take you for a fool, Agent Gibbs. Did you think for one moment that Tony would be able to work this case?” As he got to his feet, he found himself shoved against the wall. The older man right up against him.

“If you for one moment think that I’m a fool, SSA Morgan then I’ve got news for you. You might have known Tony at the age of sixteen, but that was a long time ago. I know Tony now, and I’m telling you, if you want him to go down the deep end then you leave him out of this investigation. He will not make it if you sideline him. I would rather have him right by my side where I can keep a close eye on him than make him sit this one out.”

Morgan took a deep breath. “You might be right, but I still can’t get that haunted look I saw in his eyes out of my mind. And this case, this case _will_ bring that back that look. Are you ready to let him relive his past as we go through each crime scene, looking for leads, interviewing people? Possibly making him having flashbacks? Because I am not.”

“And coddling him in cotton wool is not an option, Agent Morgan. It will give him time to think, to ponder about nothing else but the past. He will go quiet, and trust me a quiet Tony is never a good thing.” Gibbs stepped back. “I will have his six on this. I will not let him be benched if I can use him. He’s the best investigator that I know. We are going to use his skill, and yes, his inside information to catch these bastards, but more important, it’s the way I’m going to keep him safe.”

“And when they are brought to trial, then what? Do you think the DA or JAG would be happy to know that we used a past victim to catch a bunch of crazy fucks? The defense will apply for the case to be thrown out even before it started.”

“I will make the call to pull him back when, and only when it becomes necessary, Agent Morgan. Tony will know what I’m doing and he will understand. He believes in the justice system and I will not let the system fail him.”

It was Morgan’s turn to keep quiet. He heard what Gibbs had to say. The man knew Tony longer than him, he could not dispute that. There was going to be a lot of work to be done in the coming days. They had no lead on the ring’s whereabouts at the moment. Tony would be able to help. Finally, he nodded. “We will have his six, Agent Gibbs. Not just you.”

Gibbs grunted. “Let’s get more coffee and go and see Tony. We’ve been away for too long already.”

Morgan shuddered. “I’ll get the coffee, meet you in Tony’s room.” He would find out from the hospital personnel where Tony was. The burst of laughter from Gibbs made him well aware that Gibbs knew what he thought of the coffee the other man brought.

“Just make sure it’s strong, Morgan and nothing fancy. Just plain coffee.” Gibbs said over his shoulder as he walked away.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

A knock on the private room made Gibbs reach for his sidearm as he came to his feet. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Agent Morgan had his weapon out and held it next to his side. Gibbs opened the door slowly and a scowl appeared on his face. “McGee?” He looked back and nodded his head, indicating to Morgan that it is all right.

“Can we talk?” McGee asked in a whisper. It took him a long time to build up the courage to make the visit.

“Make it quick, McGee.” Gibbs stepped out and closed the door behind him.

“How is Tony?” He had no clue what was going on. Even the rumor mill had no idea. It frustrated him, but after a mental head slap he reined himself in. If Gibbs and Tony wanted him to know, they would tell him. In the meantime, he had to man up and become Tony’s friend again.

At first Gibbs didn’t want to reply, but he could see the concern on McGee’s face. It seemed like the younger man was making an effort, maybe there might be still a chance for him to change his ways. “He’s going to be all right, McGee. They’ll release him tomorrow, he’s resting now.”

McGee shuffled around nervously.

“Spit it out, McGee.”

“I don’t deserve to be on your team, Gibbs.” He swallowed hard. “Up until this morning before the BAU team came in I was under the impression that I was better than Tony. That he was the class clown and nothing more. I showed him no respect, and yet, he always respected me. Yes, he pulled pranks on me, but if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have had the courage to stand here and tell you what I mess I’ve made.”

“What changed your mind?” Gibbs managed to keep his temper intact.

“Ziva.” Tim shook his head. “It was as if I saw her for the first time. She wouldn’t have hesitated to harm, Tony. It was as if she wanted to destroy him with her bare hands. I realized she had gone off the deep end, and I had no intention to follow.”

“So, are you saying the only reason you want to stop acting like an ass is because you’re trying to save your own skin?” Gibbs hissed.

McGee stepped back, but then held his ground. “No, Gibbs. I’m not trying to save my own skin. I don’t even expect to keep my job after this. You, but more specifically, Tony gave me a chance and then a second one, and I kept on blowing it. But, I had to say I’m sorry. Yes, I know you don’t believe in saying sorry, I need to. I need to say it to you, more importantly, I need to say it to Tony.”

“And then, what then, McGee? Or are you going to pack up and leave with your tail between your legs or, are you going to set things right and show Tony that he was right when he picked you for this team?”

“You are willing to let me stay?”

Gibbs shook his head. “That decision is not up to me, McGee. But are you going to give up without a fight? Are you a coward? Man up, McGee, get your ass in gear and become the agent Tony knew you could be.” Gibbs indicated with is head. “Head out. Be at the office tomorrow at seven, sharp and then we’ll talk. But, McGee, be certain of one thing. If Tony wants you gone, you are out. I don’t give a damn what you say, or what Vance has to say. Is that clear?”

McGee nodded nervously. “Crystal, Boss.” He looked at the closed door behind Gibbs and took a calming breath. “I’ll be there, Gibbs.”

Gibbs grunted and without a word turned back and entered the room again. He closed the door shut and smiled when he saw Tony still resting peacefully.

“You think your agent McGee will get his head out of his ass?” Morgan asked from his side of the bed.

Gibbs grunted. “If he doesn’t, he’s out. It’s his decision. Whichever one he makes, he needs to live with it.”

“Wise words, Agent Gibbs.” Derek leaned back against the hardened chair. It was time to get some shuteye. Tomorrow was going to be an intense day.

“Just Gibbs, you make me sound like a supervisor if you keep on calling me Agent.” Gibbs leaned back in his own chair.

Derek grinned. “I can do that. You can call me Morgan. It’s what the team calls me.” Gibbs grunted, but didn’t reply and Derek was satisfied with that. He had a feeling that the two of them would butt heads more than once, but they both had the same goal in mind and that was to keep AD safe. That was the most important thing - they had no time for a pissing contest.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**NCIS: Bullpen**

It was easier than it ought to have been. With a dull look and a grumbled excuse, stating how unfair life was, especially so late at night she managed to get into the building and right where she wanted to be. If it wasn’t for the fact that the security was so lax and that she knew that the night team and the day time were at odds, she wouldn’t have been able to come in without a better excuse.

Ziva made her way over to her desk. For a moment, she looked around and then headed straight to DiNozzo’s desk. She made sure that the office space was clear before she sat down and tested the drawers. Of course, it was locked, but she wasn’t Mossad for nothing and within seconds she had the drawers open. Ziva searched carefully, a bit amazed at the fact that the drawers were clutter free. She expected to find some creepy stuff, but everything was neat. There were a few documents that meant nothing to her. A drawer filled with stationary and the last drawer held box with Gibbs’ medals. Ziva sighed and turned her attention to the large filing cabinet at her back. It was also locked, but after opening it, she quickly scanned through the documents. It was filled with old cold cases DiNozzo kept an eye on. Official looking documents that she knew he only kept for show, because, he can’t even read properly, never mind filling in forms. With a growl, she slammed the last drawer shut. It seemed like she came in for nothing.

Ziva stood up and walked over to Gibbs’ desk. She knew she wouldn’t find anything there, but at least she had to be thorough. The second search almost took no time at all. She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t find a thing that would tell her what DiNozzo got himself into this time or something that she could use against him. It seemed like she would have to go and have a look at his apartment. He was so full of himself, and stupid enough to keep things there for her to find.

Knowing she’d find nothing more and not being able to risk to go up to the Director’s office, she decided it was time to leave. As she got up from Gibbs’ chair, her eye caught the light on McGee’s screen on his desk. Ziva frowned. That was strange. McGee was obsessed in always shutting down his desktop at the end of the day. She had another look around and then moved into McGee’s seat. His computer was in sleep mode, but definitely still on. She moved the mouse and the password screen appeared. Ziva smirked. McGee was so gullible. Yes, he always had this long-winding passwords which he changed every twenty-eight days, but he was careless and she made sure to be at his side at least once a month to see what the new password was. This month it was _Nutter_Butter@NcisLeader007_. She managed to laugh out loud. Putting your favorite candy and wishing you where the lead agent of NCIS and a spy all in one was pathetic. Ziva got serious when she noticed what popped up the moment the password was accepted.

“Got you.” She went to her own desk and retrieved a small flash drive and made a copy of what she found. It seemed like her night stroll finally paid off. She locked the screen again. Made sure that everything was as she found it. She grabbed an envelope pushing blank paper in it. Placed the tiny flash drive in the hollowed-out heel of her shoe and made her way to the elevator. She couldn’t wait to get home to have a proper look at what she found. Hopefully it was something to finally rid the world of Anthony DiNozzo Junior.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Bethesda Hospital**

**Following Morning**

Derek came to his feet and stretched out, trying to get rid of all the aches and pains he picked up from being seated in the same chair through the night. He took a deep breath and ran his hand over his face a few times. He made sure that AD still slept before he quickly moved towards the small bathroom attached to Tony’s room, to take care of his morning routine. It had been a quiet night after their last visitor. He and Gibbs took turns getting some shuteye. Gibbs had left him in search for some coffee. Derek could only hope it would be drinkable.

AD had a good night. Gibbs told him that his friend suffered from some frequent nightmares and it was unusual for him to sleep through a night without waking up once. It was still bad that he had to be sedated, but hopefully the uninterrupted hours of sleep would help him in the strenuous days that lay ahead of them.

Derek hummed to himself as he used the small towel to dry his face. A noise from the room made him reach for his weapon which he placed next to the wash basin. He stood completely still and listened again. There was indeed movement coming from the room. With determination, Derek lifted his weapon and yanked the bathroom door open.

“What the fuck, AD?” Derek snapped as he lowered the weapon and looked at the man that stood before him. “I nearly shot you.” He placed the weapon to the side and even before his friend could get a word in, he hugged him hard.

“Wildcat?” The voice against his collarbone asked uncertain and Derek stepped back. “Yes, it’s me.” He smiled and shook his head. “I can’t believe you went into law enforcement.” He started to chat but then remembered where they were. “Shit, sorry. You want to use the facilities first?” Derek stepped to the side. “A bit cramped, but sufficient. Your Agent Gibbs placed your toiletries in there.” The confused look stayed on AD’s face and Derek gently pushed him further into the bathroom. “Clean up first, I’ll wait for you here.” He wasn’t surprised when he only received a nod before the door was closed in his face.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Tony tried to make sense of what happened, but his head was still filled with fog and not very clear. He had woken up in what was clearly a hospital bed, but had no recollection how he ended up in there. His body ached, and his hand hurt. It took him a while to remember why it was throbbing. It was then the memories flooded back. He wanted to have a meltdown when he heard someone humming from what he believed to be the bathroom. With unsteady legs he managed to get to his feet, but stubbed his toe against the one chair. The humming stopped, but even before he could get himself in a position to attack, he had SIG pointed at his head. At first the man standing before him was unknown, but then he called him _AD_ and he realized who it was.

The hug was unexpected, but not unwelcome, however, he was grateful for the reprieve he got by being able to disappear into the tiny bathroom. Here, at least, he’d get a chance to pull himself together. He reached for the shower when a knock at the door made him stop. “Yes?” He didn’t turn to open the door.

“Don’t shower, you’re not supposed to get that hand wet.” The words came through the closed door and Tony looked down at his hand again. “Okay,” he answered.

Not being able to shower left him with little time to ponder his next move. He quickly washed up and then tried to center himself. He still felt unbalanced as he opened the door, but he could no longer stall.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Derek had stepped out of AD’s room the moment he disappeared behind the closed door. He wanted to place a call to Gibbs when the man appeared behind him. “AD’s awake.”

“Good, then I didn’t bring this for nothing,” Gibbs indicated to the third take out cup he held in his hands.

Derek took his own offered cup and the third one. “Would you mind if I chatted with him alone for a few minutes? It’s been years since we saw each other last. I would like to touch base with him without anyone else present. I promise not to harm him in any way, or let anyone else harm him for that matter.” He added quickly as Gibbs frowned at him.

“DiNozzo is an expert with donning masks. He will try and fool you with everything possible inside of him. Not because he’s deceiving, but because he’s hurting. Take care of him. Phone me when you’re done. I’ll go and find his doctor to see when Tony can be released, because trust me, that will be the next thing he’ll want to do.”

Derek nodded. He didn’t like the way Gibbs described the other man, but at this stage he had no choice but to listen. Gibbs seemed to be the expert on AD at the moment. With that thought he turned back and opened the door to the room.

Tony opened the bathroom door at the same time Derek closed the room door. They looked at one another for a moment before Tony slowly made his way back to the bed. Derek followed and when the other man sat down, he handed him the coffee. “Gibbs brought you this. I hope it’s better than what he brought me yesterday.”

Tony laughed. “Marine tar coffee?” He shook his head. “He does it with everyone. If you drink it without making a scene you always score extra points with him.” He took a sip of his own beverage and sighed. It was the way he liked it. Sweet with hazelnut cream. Perfect.

“Well, then I did good. I think.” Derek responded with a shrug. “I drank it, but made sure to make the coffee run thereafter.” He took the seat he vacated earlier. He looked at the man across him and he could feel the tension seeping in. It was time to nip it in the bud. “You kept the new name, but it’s clear you didn’t stay in the program.”

“You helped me so much that first year, Wildcat, but then I was done testifying and whisked away, and I found myself with no idea what to do. That first year, I actually didn’t do anything. I was responsible for myself, due to you helping me to get emancipated, but I was still a child.” Tony snorted. “A very screwed up kid, to be exact.” He shook his head when he saw Derek wanted to interrupt. “Don’t get me wrong, the Marshall service helped me so much. They got me set up with a good psychologist, which unfortunately, at that stage I didn’t appreciate. I stayed in my new apartment, barely going out, some days even scared of my own shadow. It didn’t matter that I knew they were not in a position to hurt me again. I mean, hell, I even testified against Maslak. I couldn’t get settled. I wish I could tell you how many times I wanted to phone you.” Tony stopped. “Let’s drop it and keep it short. I went into law enforcement because of an incident in college. I then also realized that I couldn’t stay in the program. I talked it out with the Marshalls and they made sure all my documents were in order and off I went. It was only when I joined NCIS that I realized I needed to come clean. At least the Marshalls listened to me and helped me out. As far as I know only Tom Morrow knows that Anthony DiNozzo is not my real name.”

“You kept your initials.”

Tony smiled. “I still wanted to be Italian and when I introduced myself to people I told them my name was AD. I think it was a way to keep something familiar about myself.” He took a breath and then smiled. “I followed your career, Wildcat. You did good.”

The conversation changed so subtly that Derek almost didn’t notice that they were no longer talking about AD, but about him. He had to give it to the man, he was slick. “We need to address the elephant in the room, AD.”

Tony shook his head and his facial expression went blank. He got to his feet. “I need to get dressed. I assume Gibbs brought my go-bag as well?” He indicated to the bag that stood in the corner. He grabbed the bag and headed back to the bathroom. He locked the door without looking back.

“Shit.” Derek wanted to punch a wall but managed to refrain. He had messed up. He’d forgotten how quickly AD could clam up if he didn’t want to talk about something. Hopefully Gibbs would be able to get through to him. They were going to interview Tony as soon as possible and they couldn’t afford him shutting down on them. Not when they had an active human trafficking ring running about.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Ziva smirked as she ended the call. It had been a productive morning. One, that if she played her cards right, would take care of her DiNozzo problem once and for all and get her back into her father’s good graces.

She still couldn’t believe what she found on McGee’s computer. Not all of it made sense, but it seemed like poor Tony had been nothing but a sex slave for two years and now the ring they supposedly shut down was back up and running. It was the perfect way to end Tony’s life. They would never be able to pin his death on anyone else.

Ziva looked at the phone in her hand again. It was one of several burner phones she already used this morning. She only used each phone once. She took up the large hammer that she used before and with glee she pounded the cell phone into small pieces. She gathered it up and threw it in a refuse bag with all the other pieces. She would dispose of it before the end of the day. Ziva placed the bag back on the floor and reached for yet another phone. The time on her watch showed that she still had a few minutes to go before the phone in her hand would start ringing. It was to give them time to check out the information she’d sent to them earlier. Ziva looked at the laptop that she had to use the hammer on as well. She made sure to be extra creative with the hard drive and knew that not even Abby would be able to put it back together again. It was going to be a tricky conversation, but if it worked out, it would be worth her while.

The phone rang twice in her hand before she answered. She didn’t wait for the person on the other side to talk. “I’ve got something that belonged to you a few years back, and thought I’d return it to you.” She kept the conversation vague. Ziva nodded her head even though the person couldn’t see her. “I can get you more proof.” She memorized the email address given to her and ended the call. It seemed it was time to go and buy another laptop.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Undisclosed address: Washington D.C.**

“Do you trust her?”

“Of course not, but we can use her. I’ve already had our own people get information on her. Just because she never gave us her name, doesn’t mean we don’t know who she is. She would make a good play thing for you. A bit dangerous at the beginning, until you finally tamed her, but you don’t squirm away from a challenge.”

“If I get what I lost twenty years ago, I’ll gladly give her to you. You know I’ve been looking for my pet for all these years. He was perfect then and I think he might have matured into something even better.” He picked up a photo sent to him and looked at the image. His _slut puppy_ was all grown up. And, although he liked them young, he was willing to make an exception this time around.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Gibbs residence: late afternoon**

“What part of medical leave did you not understand, DiNozzo?” Gibbs closed his eyes as his second in command moved away from him to pace the living room. He was still irritated that Tony signed himself out AMA from the hospital. He had yet to talk to the FBI agent, but something went wrong after he left them earlier.

“There’s nothing wrong with me, Gibbs and you know it. Brad is being…” Tony looked for the word.

“Concerned, putting your health first, being a good doctor?” Derek piped up from the side.

“Overbearing was the actual word I was looking for.” Tony responded. He refused to meet Derek’s gaze.

“DiNozzo,” Gibbs grumbled. “I’m not discussing this any further. Until Brad clears you for duty, you’re not going to work.” He closed the distance between them and placed his hand on Tony’s shoulder. “I know it’s difficult, Tony.”

Tony shrugged the hand off. “You don’t know anything, Gibbs. Since when do you follow doctor’s orders? So don’t tell me it’s difficult.” He brushed past the older man and headed up the stairs. He needed time to think.

Gibbs cursed under his breath, but didn’t call after Tony. He turned to Morgan. “What the hell happened? You said you only wanted to talk with him? Instead, when I come back, he’s all closed off and so pissed that he actually left the hospital?” Gibbs sighed. “I need coffee.” He wanted something stronger, but it wasn’t an option. Not while he was still on duty.

Derek shook his head. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”

“Don’t say you’re sorry, it’s a sign of weakness.”

“What? Since when? That’s bull.” He held up his hand when Gibbs wanted to interrupt. “I’m not going to discuss that view of yours. Just know it’s my fault that Tony signed out AMA.”

“Why?” Gibbs asked as he moved to the kitchen in search of the required beverage.

“I pushed too hard. The moment I wanted to talk to him about the fact that he called me and about the trafficking ring he shut down. I’d forgotten that you don’t try and start a difficult conversation with AD, you wait patiently for him to approach you. He’ll only talk when he’s good and ready and not a moment before.”

Gibbs shook his head. “Told you to take it easy.” He shrugged. “It’s too late now.” He looked up when the floorboard creaked at the bottom of the stairs. Gibbs looked on as Tony entered the kitchen. His second in command looked tired again. This case was going to take his toll on the younger man. He could only hope that Tony would let him and Derek could help when he needed it.

“I called a cab, I need to get back to my apartment.”

“Why?”

Tony’s eyes were cold when he answered. “It’s got nothing to do with either of you. Since I’m on medical leave, I don’t report to you, Gibbs.” He made to pass the older man but stopped as a hand rested on his forearm. He looked at the hand and then up at Gibbs’ face. “Let me go.”

“Don’t be rash, DiNozzo. Stay, get some more rest. We can go to your apartment later and get what you need.” Gibbs removed his hand, but stayed close.

Tony snorted. “I’m not over hasty, Gibbs. It’s my decision to leave and you cannot stop me.”

“DiNozzo,” Gibbs barked. He knew he was making things worse, but he didn’t have time to deal with Tony’s stubbornness right now. Now, he wanted Tony to listen to him and stay put.

“NO.” Tony stepped back. “I’m leaving.” He pushed Gibbs away and stepped past him.

“Damn it, DiNozzo, stop being an ass.” Gibbs spat out the words, his own anger clearly evident.

“What, Gibbs? Can’t take it that your _loyal St. Bernard_ actually stands up against you and does something on his own, more importantly, for himself?”

Derek, having remained silent during the vocal altercation between the two men stepped forward. “Stop, both of you.”

“Keep out of it, Derek. It’s got nothing to do with you.” Tony snarled at the other man.

“It’s got everything to do with me, AD. You’re the one who phoned the BAU; who phoned me for help. And now that we’re here to help, you’re acting like a spoiled kid.” Derek tried to argue.

“Me? A spoiled kid?” Tony snickered. “I wonder when that happened? When my mother died, when that man called my father disowned me, or when I became nothing but a fuck toy?” He made as if he thought hard about it. “You know, I think it was then. I mean I was spoiled, all right. I could get any cock I want up my ass or down my throat at any time. But wait, I didn’t ask for it or FUCKING WANT it!” Tony stumbled away. “Fuck you, Derek.”

“AD, stop.” Derek had blanched at his friend’s words. “I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to call you spoiled. Please, let’s sit down and talk this out.” He indicated to Gibbs’ living room.

Tony shook his head. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’m done talking.” Tony’s voice was now deprived of any emotion. His breathing was shallow and he looked blankly at the two men who stood before him.

“DiNozzo, Tony.” Gibbs spoke up again, but got no further as Tony interrupted him.

“I’m done talking, Boss. I’m leaving.” This time he took a step towards the front door.

Gibbs growled. “If you go out that door, don’t bother to come back to work. I’ll make sure Vance receives your resignation as soon as possible.”

“Gibbs,” Derek sounded shocked.

Tony had become almost transparent at Gibbs’ words. “I’ll email it myself.” Without a further word, he opened the front door and stepped out. The cab he ordered pulled up at the same time and with no hesitation, Tony got in and closed the door behind him.

Derek exploded. “What the fuck, Gibbs! What the hell? You really are a bastard.” He reached for his phone. “Where does AD stay?”

“What?” Gibbs frowned at the question.

“Unless you’d forgotten, AD might still be in danger. And since we can’t keep him safe here, we need someone else who can. I need to tell my team to keep an eye out for him and hopefully he won’t bolt when he realizes we’ve got someone watching him.”

Gibbs wanted to kick himself. He wasn’t thinking straight. He rattled off the address and moved towards his safe box to retrieve his firearm and go after Tony.

Derek ended the call he made to Hotch and addressed the other man. “It’s not a good idea, Gibbs. You know that. Let’s give him some space to calm down and calm down ourselves. Phone your Director, tell him not to accept the resignation and tomorrow morning we’ll go and fix this mess we both created. Hopefully, he’ll listen to us.”

Gibbs grunted as he put his weapon away and headed towards the side door of the kitchen.

“Where are you going?”

“Basement. You can follow if you want. I need something stronger than coffee.” Gibbs didn’t stop and stomped down the stairs.

Derek sighed. With AD storming off, neither of them were on duty any more. Something stronger sound just like the thing that he needed. He wondered if Gibbs drank bourbon or brandy. He had a feeling it would be bourbon. There was only one way to find out.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Tony looked down as he sipped his drink. He had calmed down since he stormed out of Gibbs’ house. He’d taken a long shower after removing the bandage from his hand. The wound was neatly stitched. It was a bit swollen, but clean which was a good sign. Now standing at his window, looking down at the street, he could see the non-descript sedan parked across the street and knew it had to be the FBI. He wanted to be angry that they assigned a watchdog to him, but he didn’t have the energy. He was exhausted, and not physically. His hand throbbed and in his haste to get away from Gibbs and Morgan he didn’t take his medication with him. He had a few generic pain killers that he could use. Tony shook his head. He didn’t need the other medication, definitely not now with his current state of mind. He didn’t even need the generic ones. He had to ignore the pain, it would go away.

He tried not to think about what transpired at Gibbs’ house. He’d said some things that he never wanted to, but he also knew Gibbs. The man was at best a functional mute, for him to have actually said so much, showed Tony how rattled Gibbs actually was. It still felt strange, even after seven years, to know that Gibbs cared about him - that anyone cared. Some days, it was hard to believe. Gibbs spoke out of frustration. Frustration that Tony created. Tony shivered. He hoped it was just frustration, maybe Gibbs was serious and that meant he was now jobless. The thought of him being without a job, without doing what he loved, nearly made his legs buckle beneath him and he grabbed hold of the wall to stay upright. “Fuck,” he took a deep breath. “Cross the bridge when you get there, Tony.” He mumbled to himself.

When his laptop pinged, Tony sighed and turned away from the window. He was glad for the respite, although he feared what he would see when he opened up the laptop. Tony made his way over to the kitchen where he’d set up and sat down on one of the bar chairs. It seemed like the parameters he used to search for possible linked cases found another three. Grand total now, stood at thirty-three. He started working through the cases. It seemed like these three might be the first ones as it happened more than a year and a half ago. From the information loaded on the shared database, it seemed like when Janet Summers went missing, there might have been a potential witness. The info was sketchy and for a moment Tony contemplated on heading out to go and find the witness. But, it was out of their jurisdiction. He snorted. Once again, he might even be jobless. Technically, he was jobless. He only had to send the email. He stared at the laptop for a long time; the cases he looked at forgotten for a moment. He minimized the screen and opened up his email. Gibbs was serious, he always was. With an ache in his heart, Tony started drafting his resignation. Without a job he’d have more time to look for the missing girls. He would find them, he didn’t need a badge to do that.

It took him longer than he thought it would, but finally he hit the send button. He was jobless. Tony dragged his hand across his face and took a deep breath. He maximized the previous screen and then stared at it. He just resigned. The thought kept on turning over and over in his mind. He found himself staring at the screen for a long time, and with a growl he leaped to his feet. He needed a distraction. His first thought was sex, sex always took his mind off his worries, but after today, and with his babysitters on the outside, it wasn’t an option. It was time for something else.

Tony stopped at his piano. It’d been a while since he last played. They’d been extremely busy, days running into one another. Some days he only had time to grab a shower and a clean set of clothes. Now it seemed like he would have all the time in the world. He took his seat and opened the lid. He let his fingers rest on the ivory keys and closed his eyes. The music started flowing from within. It was heavy, slow and sad. It reflected his mood like a mirror image. The first piece of music became another and then the music changed. It was hard and angry, the crescendo reaching its peak, staying there as he nearly hammered the keys in frustration and anger. His mood fled before him, leaving him empty and the music stopped. Silence settled in around him. Tony managed to stumble to his feet. Like a drunkard, he found his way to his bedroom and collapsed on the twin bed. His eyes closed on their own accord as the power of sleep pulled him down.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Undisclosed address: Washington D.C.**

Ziva looked at the men that surrounded her and rolled her eyes. They all thought they were so macho. They were no match for her. Her Mossad training prepared her for situations like this. “If you’re done ogling me we can get down to business.” She hated the fact that she was here, but in the end, she had little choice.

“You work for NCIS.” A man spoke up, one that she didn’t notice before. The gorilla types around her gave way. He was older than he sounded. Had gray eyes with dull hair. Ordinary. One that you wouldn’t notice at first. Ziva didn’t say a word, but she was impressed.

“I work where I am sent.”

“You are not loyal.”

“I am loyal to what matters to me.”

“And what is that? Mossad?” The man sighed. “Yet, you’ve given up your citizenship just like that.” He clicked his fingers together.

Ziva remained silent. He knew about her.

“Nothing to say.” He came closer, invaded her personal space. A sneer appeared on his face. “I don’t deal well with traitors.” He stepped back. “You can get what I’ve lost.”

Ziva wouldn’t admit it, but the man intimidated her. There was something about him that wanted to make her fall to her knees and whimper. If it wasn’t for the fact that she had something to prove, she might’ve done just that. “I can.” She was relieved to hear her voice sounded steady.

The man looked at her and then shook his head. “I have no respect for you, but, from what I hear you are indeed able to deliver. I want everything on my pet. Who is his best friend? His worst enemy? With whom does he sleep, what does he have for dinner each night? I don’t want to hear anything from you until you’ve got him.” He turned to leave but then stopped. Without turning back, he addressed her again. “And I want him in a pristine condition. I do know he’ll most likely put up a fight, but if he’s more injured than strictly necessary, I’ll be disappointed. No one has the right to hurt what is mine. He is mine to punish.” He didn’t wait for a reply, but stepped in between his men as they gave way and then disappeared.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**BAU – Quantico, Virginia**

**09:00 the following morning**

“Morgan?” JJ asked with concern as her friend entered their open plan office. The chocolate colored man looked almost ash gray.

Derek shook his head and sat down heavily on the chair. “I royally fucked up, JJ.” His shoulders sagged. He looked up to where his best friend was nearly buried in stacks and stacks of files. “What’s Pretty boy, doing?”

“Not like you to change the subject so abruptly, Morgan.” JJ responded, but then added. “An email came through from Agent DiNozzo and half an hour later a courier arrived with all those files.” She looked at Morgan. “You going to tell me what’s wrong, because saying you’ve _royally fucked up_ , doesn’t quite cover it.”

Derek looked at JJ and then at Reid. To bother Reid would not help, his genius friend would immediately see there was something wrong and would stop reading. He needed Reid to go through those files. They needed answers. He looked around. Both Rossi and Hotch’s doors were still closed. It means they personally took the task on to keep AD safe. He finally swung his chair around so that he could face JJ. “You know where Rossi and Hotch are at the moment?”

JJ nodded. “Hotch phoned and told me. What happened?”

“I’d forgotten what a hothead AD can be. I pushed him, and I pushed too quickly and too far and he bolted. Then Gibbs took it a bit further and now AD believes that he’s out of a job, with no friends and a maniac, which we couldn’t catch the first time, possibly on his tail.”

JJ frowned. “There are too many things that are not making sense. What I do know is that you won’t leave things as is, so what are you doing here? Why aren’t you at his place to set things right again?”

“AD needs time to calm down. He angers quickly, but takes time to get his emotions back under control. If I try and talk to him now, he’ll explode again and nothing good will come out of it.” Morgan looked over at Reid. “I also wanted to take Boy genius with me. I think he and Tony will hit it off and become good friends.”

“And you’re not going to use Spencer as a buffer between you and Agent DiNozzo?”

Derek smiled and shook his head. “Neither of them will allow it. Reid would know immediately if I tried to do something like that and AD, AD would kick my ass solidly for trying to play him. I will not do it to either of them.” He looked at the files Spencer was working through. “I can also do with an update on what’s going on, any leads?”

Spencer looked up from the files he read. “I’ll go with you. I need to speak to Agent DiNozzo in any case, at the same time I’ll update you as well. I also think it’s time we relieve Rossi and Hotch.” Without waiting for a reply, he picked up his shoulder bag and swung it over his head. “I’m ready.”

Derek shook his head. He shouldn’t have been surprised that Reid was aware of what they were talking about. His friend could multitask with the best of them. He shrugged and grinned at JJ and waved at her. He placed his arm around Reid’s shoulders and gave him a quick squeeze before he let go. “You’re going to like AD, Reid. He’s also a genius like you, but he hides it. He always has. It will do him good to talk to you.”

Reid looked at his friend. “Have you asked Agent DiNozzo if it’s all right to still call him, AD?” He continued quickly. “I know you mean well, and that’s the name you know him by, but he’s a different person, Morgan. Maybe you calling him AD are putting extra pressure on him?”

Derek lowered his head. “And I call myself a profiler,” he mumbled under his breath. “Stupid mistake, Reid. Thank you. I’ll take it up with him.”

“He’ll know you didn’t mean it in a bad way, Morgan. He had to reinvent himself, so there might be a possibility that with you calling him AD it keeps on reminding him of the past. A past that’s now almost guaranteed to be the present as well.”

“You’re way too good at this, kid.” Morgan accepted the advice as they exited the building and headed over to their parked SUV.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Dupont Circle: Outside DiNozzo’s apartment**

Rossi grinned as his best friend stifled yet another yawn. “Getting too old for this duty, Hotch.”

Aaron hummed and nodded his head. “Next time remind me not to volunteer for this, let’s send someone else, please.” He tried to stretch out in the cramped space available to him. His phone chimed and he reached for it. “Finally,” a smile appeared on his face. “Reid and Morgan are on their way.”

“Thank you,” Rossi sighed. “My backside would be grateful if it doesn’t have to sit in this seat for at least the next seventy-two hours.” He wriggled a bit to find another comfortable spot. They’d been on duty for more than sixteen hours and could seriously do with a break. He looked on as a large SUV drove past them. He used his side mirror to check it out until it disappeared around the corner.

Hotchner smiled one of his rare smiles and nodded in agreement. “I’ll do whatever I can to keep us out of the vehicle, Dave.” His smile turned into a frown as another SUV passed them. “We’ve been here for a long time and we’ve seen plenty of cars passing by, but what are the odds of two black 2015 Chevrolet SUVs like ours passing by in less than three minutes?” He turned and looked through their own back window. “Trouble?”

“I want to say no, but the odds against this not being trouble are too slim.” He reached for his firearm as he got ready to open his door. It was then that a third SUV came from the front, but instead of driving past, it stopped right in front of Tony’s building.

“Fuck,” Hotchner cursed and grabbed his own firearm. He looked on as five men exited the vehicle and made their way to the lobby door of the apartment complex.

“We need to stop them.” Rossi checked his weapon but stayed seated. It wouldn’t help them, or Agent DiNozzo if they went in guns blazing. They needed a strategy.

Hotchner wanted to respond, but then then a second and a third SUV came back, parking on either side of the first, their engines still running. “There’s no time.” He took his phone and pressed the call button on the newly saved number on his phone. He had no idea if the man would answer.

“Get out of your apartment, now. You’ve got less than a minute.” Hotch barked the order as he opened his door. “Get yourself to safety without leaving the building. I’ll contact you when it’s safe to do so.” Hotch ended the call and dialed another number. “Garcia, I need marked units to my coordinates and I need them now! Sirens blazing. NOW!” He ended the call. As he crossed the street with Rossi at his back he could hear the first sirens wailing in the back. He kept his weapon trained on the first of the two occupied vehicles. “FBI, switch off the engine and get your hands up where I can see them.” He shouted the order. He could hear Rossi repeating the same order as the sirens in the background become more audible.

He knew they were in a vulnerable position. They had no real cover, especially if the men that entered the building came out weapons blazing. When nothing happened, he repeated the order. The SUV right in front of him was deprived of any movement. With the darkened windows, it was difficult to see what was going on inside.

Hotchner could feel the tension in the air, it became almost tangible. Then the lobby doors opened up and he had to run for cover. The five men were back, all of them firing rapidly. He managed to get his own shots off, as he scrambled for better cover. He could hear the two engines revving before the back door of the SUV in front opened up and what looked like with practiced ease the five gunmen got into the vehicle. The moment the door closed behind them, Hotch was out behind his cover and started shooting as the two SUVS sped off with burning tires. He fired again, but it was useless. He looked on as they disappeared from his view.

He lifted a hand to signal that he was okay, as he heard Rossi calling out to him. He jogged towards the third SUV that now stood abandoned. He checked it out quickly, finding it to be empty and then headed toward the lobby doors. Hotch wasn’t surprised to find Dave right at his back.

A few people came to their feet as they stormed in. A woman screamed and she fell to the floor, but his eyes swept over her, making sure the area was clean of any danger before he moved on. When they reached the stairs, he pulled out his phone and pressed the call button again. “Shit,” he cursed as the phone remained unanswered. With Dave still at his back the two men made their way up the stairs. They checked the first level and then the second, right up to DiNozzo’s apartment. The door was kicked off its hinges and Hotch indicated to Dave to stop. They had to proceed with extra care.

Hotch toed the door open and as he went in he called out loud. “Federal Agents, come out with your hands in the air.” He received no reply and the two men quickly swept the room and continued on with the rest of the apartment. Things were tossed around, but there were no signs of anyone hiding.

“Well, it seemed like he managed to hide somewhere, because the bad guys didn’t bring him out.” Dave spoke up for the first time. He looked over at the piano. “Looks like our Agent DiNozzo has some hidden talents.” His fingers glided over the keys.

“You can ask him about his playing ability later, now we’ve got to find him first.” Hotch reached for his phone again. He growled when it remained unanswered yet again. “I’m personally going to kill him when I find him.”

Rossi looked at his friend. “Let’s not be so hasty. You did tell him to get himself somewhere safe. Maybe he’s still of the opinion that it’s still not safe to come out.”

Aaron managed not to kill Rossi with a mere look. He reached for his phone and at the same time brought up his firearm as someone stormed into the apartment. “Federal Agents!” He screamed, the phone in his hand forgotten for the moment. He lowered his weapon as he found himself staring at Morgan and Reid.

“You all right?” Morgan asked as he also lowered his weapon and took a look around. “What the hell happened? Where’s AD?”

“Looking for him,” Hotch replied and then cursed as he remembered the phone in his hand. “Gibbs?” He asked and could only hear static in his ear. The line was still open, but he had a feeling the man he wanted to talk to was on his way here. “Gibbs!” He shouted out loud, in an attempt for the NCIS agent to hear him. He heard squealing tires outside and made his way over to the large window. A government sedan came to a screeching stop and Hotch ended the call as the man he tried to reach over the phone leaped out of the car. “Gibbs is on his way.” He informed his team. He ended the call and tried Agent DiNozzo’s phone again. Once again, it remained unanswered.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

When his phone rang, Gibbs wanted to yell. It’d been ringing nonstop the whole morning. It seemed like the whole of Washington D.C. wanted him. He looked at the screen and everything slowed down. It was SSA Hotchner’s number that appeared on the screen. He answered it and growled as no one spoke to him, but he heard the clear call out of federal agents. Without ending the call, he took the stairs down three at a time, not bothering with the elevator. He found one of his colleagues getting out of his car and with no hesitation, Gibbs leaped in. He didn’t have time to explain as he sped off. He had to get to Tony’s place. He tossed the phone on the seat next to him. Both hands gripped the steering wheel hard, his knuckles white with tension. He gave no damn about any traffic regulations as he sped through red intersections, not caring about nearly causing several accidents. He only had one place to be.

When Tony’s apartment building came into sight, his heart pounded in his chest. Several police vehicles stood around, blue lights flashing on top of the roofs. He managed to stop halfway on the pavement and jumped out of the car. He had his pistol in the one hand, his credentials in the other. He noticed the chunks of concrete missing, and shell casings lying around and fear made itself known in his heart. He ran out hard. Luckily, no one tried to stop him and with a still racing heart he made it to the second floor.

Gibbs barged in. His own weapon at a ready. “What the hell happened here?” He barked out the as he holstered his weapon when he detected no threat.

“Someone tried to grab Agent DiNozzo.” Rossi spoke up.

Gibbs looked around. “How the fuck did they know where he was? Or, for that matter _who_ he was? And where the hell is he?”

“He’s not returning my calls.” Hotch explained what transpired. He himself was battling with the same questions Gibbs had asked. Something wasn’t right. They had a leak, but he had no idea where or who, the leak was.

“Damn it, DiNozzo.” Gibbs dragged his hand across his face. “I’ll go and get him. Stay here.”

“How do you know where he is?” Morgan asked even as he closed the distance between them. He was not letting Gibbs go off on his own.

Gibbs looked at the younger agent. “I know.” It wouldn’t be the first time that he had to bring Tony out from his hiding place. But, it wasn’t his story to tell, and if Tony didn’t want the FBI to know about it, that would be the end. He could do nothing as the FBI agent followed him. Gibbs took the stairs down again, but instead of stepping out into the lobby, he opened a door to the side. It had stairs leading down.

“DiNozzo!” Gibbs called out as he descended the stairs. “Coast is clear, Tony.” He came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. He slowly raised his hands above his head. He glared at Morgan until the man lifted his own hands. “Bad guys left, Tony. Only the good ones are still here, and then the FBI, but they don’t matter.”

Silence greeted them, but Gibbs remained unmoved. He kept his hands well away from his body.

“You sure?” A faint voice sounded to their left.

“Positive.” Gibbs was happy with the fact that Morgan remained silent. He sighed faintly as he spotted movement from his left and Tony came into view. His surrogate son was as gray as a stormy day, his eyes large, but the grip he had on his firearm steady. It had been more than a year since Tony last had such an adverse reaction to this kind of situation. He thought that it might be something of the past, but now he knew better. It also had nothing to do with the rest of NCIS, that included the head shrinks they were always threatened with.

“You going to lower that and give it to me?” Gibbs asked but kept his arms up. Until Tony surrendered his weapon, he was not taking any chances.

“You not mad?” Tony sounded so insecure.

“Never at you, Tony.” Gibbs kept his eyes on Tony, his voice calm. “Put the safety back on and place your weapon on the floor, Tony. I’ll pick it up and then we can get out of here. This place makes my nose twitch.”

Tony looked at Gibbs and at Morgan. Finally, he nodded his head. He placed the safety on his sidearm and then lowered the weapon to the floor. He moved three steps backward and hung his head low.

Gibbs moved forward. He kicked Tony’s pistol in Morgan’s direction and pulled Tony to his chest. “You’re all right, boy. You’re all right.” He repeated the mantra until Tony’s arms came around his waist and hugged him tight. “We’ll work this out, I promise.” He released Tony from the hug, but cupped his face. “Let’s get out of here.” He smiled, his eyes filled with love for the younger man.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**NCIS: Bullpen**

Tony refused to meet anyone’s gaze. Instead, he focused on the file in front of him. He wasn’t reading anything, but used it as a ruse in an attempt not to be noticed.

“My office, DiNozzo,” Gibbs spoke softly in his ear and stood back, giving Tony time to get to his feet. He didn’t doubt for one moment that Tony wouldn’t follow him. He waited for Tony to move first before he followed on his heels. He shook his head as Agent Morgan wanted to speak up. After they collected Tony from the laundry room, Gibbs had no objection in handing Tony’s apartment over to the FBI to investigate while he drove Tony back to their offices.

When the doors closed behind him, Gibbs pushed the emergency stop and turned to Tony as he elevator jolted to a standstill. “You doing okay?” He asked and when he received no reply, he pushed on. “I said some things yesterday afternoon, that I shouldn’t have, Tony. I was terrified and took it out on you.” He lifted Tony’s chin with his finger as the younger man continued to look down at his feet. “You know that I see you as my son, Tony. I only want the best for you, and sometimes my mouth runs away from me. I’ve already spoken to Vance, you are not fired. I will never do that to you.”

Gibbs did his best not to sigh as Tony remained unresponsive. “You worried about what the FBI will say about what happened at your apartment?”

“I’m not fit to be an agent, Gibbs.”

This time Gibbs didn’t suppress the sigh. He also moved further into Tony’s space. “And why is that? Because you got yourself out of danger? There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I placed everyone else in danger.”

The head slap was hard. “As far as I understood from Agent Hotchner, you followed orders. You got yourself to safety, stayed hidden until the coast was clear and no one else was in danger and those in danger, were definitely not in that position because of you. So, you want to try again?”

“I could’ve shot you.”

“And yet, you were calm when you responded to me. Followed my orders to the letter, but most importantly, you never even placed your finger on the trigger. Don’t bullshit me, Tony. You were not going to shoot me.”

“What about your report?”

Gibbs frowned. “What about my report? It states that you got yourself to safety and when the coast was clear myself and SSA Morgan went down to collect you and to make sure you were still safe. Nothing else.”

Tony finally lifted his head. “He was there.”

Gibbs frowned. “Who, Tony?”

Tony moved backwards and slid down the side of the elevator. He lowered his head in his hands. “He makes me feel like a helpless little boy, Gibbs.” He held out his hands which trembled hard. “Just thinking of him makes me shiver with fear.”

Gibbs lowered himself next to Tony on the elevator floor. “You talking about the man who took you twenty years ago?”

Tony stared at the floor for what seemed to be for a long time before he finally nodded. “I still need to tell you how it happened, but I can’t. Not now.”

“You don’t need to tell me, Tony. I understand.”

Tony cleared his throat and brought his hand to his mouth to start biting his nails. His hand never reached his mouth, instead, Gibbs took hold of his hand and squeezed it hard.

“Who did you see, Tony? Tell me.”

Tony shivered again, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He leaned back so that his head rested against the side of the metal box. “Teel, Markus Teel.” Tony shifted restlessly. “He was the main man behind the trafficking ring. He oversaw each and every purchase personally. He made sure he knew each detail of the girl kidnapped. He made sure that each one of them knew he was the boss.” Tony swallowed. “He is a sadist, Gibbs. He got off on inflicting pain on others. The worse the pain, the better for him. Each time a new bunch of girls were brought in, there would always be one who thought she could escape. He had a knack of knowing who it would be. To him it was a game. He would intentionally let the security go lax, give her ample opportunity to get out, only to bring her back personally and then he would show her how wrong she was. If he was in a bad mood, it was a single shot to the back of the head. He would leave the body there with the other girls for days. It served as a reminder to all of them of what would happen if they tried to run. If he was in a good mood, he would draw it out. He would start by breaking each bone in their feet. There are twenty-six bones in the foot, Gibbs. He’s able to name each one. He knows how to apply enough pressure to the foot to break the bones and he broke each one with a smile on his face. She would be placed in a cell across from the others where the girls could see everything. Her door would be left open. Each and every one tried to escape again. He would catch them again, and then break the bones in their legs and shatter their kneecaps. He took time in breaking their elbows and all the bones in their hands. If they wanted to get out then, they had to slide across the floor like a snake.”

Tony closed his eyes. “Only then, the games started. He would bring her back again, and string up her arms, her broken legs shackled to the floor to keep her upright. He would then whip her.” Tony’s voice grew silent and he shook his head. “I can’t get it out of my head. I can’t tell you everything, not now. But I can tell you in the end he would then rape her – continuously. And when he grew tired of his own games he would toss her out of whatever place we were at in that moment in time and would let her die. They always died.”

Tony opened his eyes. They were filled with dread. “He made me his personal pet. He called me his _slut puppy_ , and he promised me that should I ever escape, he would personally find me and he would make what he did to those girls look like child play.”

Gibbs pulled Tony to his chest. “He will never find you, Tony. You are my son, I will keep you safe.”

Tony shook his head. “You don’t understand, Gibbs. He knows where I live. He knows my name. I heard him call out to me as I fled to hide. He told me that he would find me. He specifically told me that my Boss, that Leroy Jethro Gibbs, will not keep me safe. He knows everything about me, Gibbs. He knows everything about you.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Undisclosed address: Washington D.C. – following day**

Teel backhanded the man before him and noted with glee the droplet of blood that pooled in the corner of his mouth. He looked over to where Isaak was strung from the high beam, his arms above his head, his legs spread wide, and shackled to the floor. It was a good look on the man. Teel technically knew it wasn’t Isaak’s fault, but his own, but someone had to be punished and it couldn’t be him, now could it?

“It was a dumb move on our part. You disappoint me, Isaak. As my second in command, you should’ve told me we’re acting too hasty, that we should wait. Just because that bitch gave us such wonderful pieces of information didn’t mean we could go barging in.” This time he delivered a solid punch to the man’s abdomen. “Now, they are on to us, and you know how much I hate the FBI, Isaak.” In one fluid motion, he twirled around and lashed out, crushing Isaak’s kneecap with the powerful kick. Isaak screamed, the first sound he made since Teel had him strung up.

Teel stepped back. “But, I do think you’ve learned your lesson and I’ve learned mine as well. You know I hate to punish those close to me, Isaak, but this time it was necessary. I hope we won’t have to repeat this lesson again.” He sneered. “I do now remember that I wanted our little snitching bitch to bring my pet home, so this time we will not act hastily. She will bring him to us.” He paced the room. “In the meantime, we’ll keep eyes on him ourselves. I want daily updates on him, Isaak.” Teel looked around. He loved this place. It was built like a mini coliseum. The large ring in the middle was where he paraded his girls in front of their potential buyers, usually via large screens connected via the internet, or in his case, the Darknet. Their cages all looked to the inside, closing the ring. They stood all empty. The last girl in the last batch was delivered earlier to her new owner. “Fill up my ring, Isaak, I will not grow bored while waiting for my pet to be delivered.” Teel walked away but then stopped. “Get me a Marine, as well. There’s a lot of them here in D.C. It can’t be that difficult.” It's time his little _slut puppy_ was taught a lesson.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**NCIS: Bullpen**

**2 days later**

“Boss?” McGee asked carefully as he stood next to Gibbs’ desk.

****

****

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and looked at the junior agent. McGee had signed a written reprimand that was placed on his file and had to repeat some of the FLETC courses over the next few months. He was also back on probation for the next year. One wrong step and he would find himself out on the street.

“Do you think I can talk to Tony? I want to apologize, but I’m not sure if he’d appreciate it if I approached him now.”

Gibbs leaned back in his chair. “What if he doesn’t accept your apology?”

“Then I’ll work harder to show him that I’ve changed and that I am truly sorry for what I’ve done, Boss.” McGee held his head high. He wanted to do the right thing.

Gibbs grunted in reply. “Don’t push him, McGee. He’s in the gym.”

McGee nodded and before Gibbs could change his mind, he headed off to the gym.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Tony kept his mind blank as he used the large training bag to practice his boxing swings. He was light on his feet, his breathing hard but deep as he concentrated on each blow. He let the power travel through his body, up into his arm and straight out of his fist. Tony only became aware of the younger agent when Tim grabbed the bag to hold it steady. He came to a halt and stared at the man he wanted to call friend.

“Keep it steady,” Tony lifted his gloves to cover his face and then started jabbing at the bag. His blows came fast, but he didn’t keep the power out of it. If Tim hung on without landing on his ass, he would have some interesting bruises the following day. Tony let go of his frustrations, of his fears and of the doubt he felt within himself.

“Tony!” Tim called out as he kept the bag steady. He tried to get Tony’s attention, but the older man was in some sort of a trance, not taking in things around him. Tim grunted as the next blow sent him and the bag backwards. Instead of stepping forward, he remained back and tried calling out to Tony again. He looked at the red spots that decorated the bag. Tony’s wrapped hands were bleeding badly and he needed him to stop. “Tony!” Tim yelled and moved the bag out of the way so that when Tony’s movement brought him forward, he stumbled. Tim let go of the bag and grabbed Tony’s arm to keep him steady. He had to duck as a fist came flying his way. “Steady.” He kept Tony on his feet. “You’re bleeding.” Tim indicated to Tony’s hand. For a moment it looked like Tony wasn’t understanding what he was saying but then he looked down at his hands.

“McGee?” Tony asked confused and continued to stare at his hand. “You all right?” He asked when he finally lifted his head.

“I’m more worried about you.” Tim took Tony’s arm and guided him to one of the benches and sat him down. “Let me take a look at that.” He gently took Tony’s hand and started to unwrap the bloodied bindings. He hissed in sympathy as the last binding fell away and revealed the damaged done. Nearly all of the stitches were torn. His hand already started to swell. “You’ll need to have Ducky take a look at that.” He took a towel and wrapped it around Tony’s hand. He reached for Tony’s other hand.

“Why, McGee?” Tony asked quietly.

McGee’s hands stilled. He knew exactly what Tony asked.

“Because I was jealous.” He stated the bare fact and reached for Tony’s hand again. He unwrapped the bindings and continued. “You’re perfect, Tony. You’ve got the looks and the brains. You’re a badass investigator, an even more awesome undercover agent and you’re respected by everyone, including all of alphabet agencies. Everything comes so easy to you. I hated that. I hated that you are well liked and that you know how to do your job. I wanted that, I needed that. And at one stage it didn’t matter how I got it, as long as you were brought down and looked incompetent. If you were destroyed by my actions, then so be it, as long as I got to be the golden boy.”

“I’m sorry, Timothy.” Tony spoke up softly, his head bowed in shame.

“No,” Tim shook his head hard. “No, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one here at fault and I’m sorry. I’m breaking Gibbs’ rule by apologizing, but I have to, I need to. You deserve my loyalty. You were the one who brought me onto the team and although I’m still a bit peeved at some of the pranks you pulled on me, I understand why you did it. You made me stronger, made sure I was able stand up to anyone, including Gibbs and the only thanks I gave in return was to try and take you down another peg. You made me into a capable federal agent, gave me skills that I didn’t have. I know I can’t be a suitable federal agent if I don’t know how to do field work, being a genius with computers, means nothing. I’m sorry it took me so long to get my head out of my ass.”

“I have to ask, McGee.” Tony kept his head down. “Why now? Or are you feeling sorry for me because of what’s happening now?”

Timothy frowned. “What? No.” He shook his head. “Listen, Tony. I’m not even sure what _is_ happening. I know the FBI is here, Gibbs still hasn’t told me why. I assume it’s got something to do with our dead Seaman. I’m still trying to find the information Gibbs wanted, without much success and with Abby moaning in my ears about Ziva, I don’t know what’s going on.”

Tony looked up. McGee had a confused expression on his face. “I don’t know if I can trust you again, McGee.” He looked down again. “I thought we were friends.”

“I screwed it up so bad.” McGee sighed. “I can understand that you don’t trust me. I wouldn’t trust myself if I were in your shoes. But, I would like to gain your trust again, Tony. I would like to become your friend.”

Tony sighed. “It will take time, McGee. I can’t tell you how long or if it will ever happen.” He looked at the younger man. “You’ve got great potential, McGee. I don’t want NCIS to lose that.” Tony wiggled his fingers, they were already stiff. The wound looked closed enough. He’d get Jimmy to help him remove the stitches. “I’m going to need some ice for this.” He got to his feet and gave a small nod of thanks as he wobbled for a second and McGee steadied him. “Meet me in the bullpen in about an hour. I’ll help you with the information Gibbs wants.”

“Thank you, Tony.” McGee looked on as Tony made his way to the changing rooms and the man disappeared from his sight. He took out his phone to make a call. He kept it short and then made his way back to the bullpen to wait for Tony.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

“McGee is a real tattletale,” Tony grumbled as he got out of the dressing room and found both Ducky and Gibbs waiting on him.

Ducky sighed and Gibbs huffed. “Let Ducky take a look at your hand, DiNozzo.” Gibbs gently tapped his surrogate son on the back of his head. “You do realize that when I sent you down here, it was for you to burn off that nervous energy you had going on in your system, not to mess up your hand.” Gibbs frowned as he looked at the damage Tony had done.

“It’s not that bad, Gibbs.” Tony hissed and tried to pull away as Ducky prodded at the cut on his right hand.

Ducky looked up sharply. “Last time I looked, young Anthony, I was the one with the medical degree, not you. So, please, let me be the judge on whether or not this is _‘not so bad’_.

Tony sighed, but relented in letting Ducky look at his hand. “McGee came to apologize.”

“And that he should. I know the dear boy is still inexperienced, but his actions, and those of Ziva went too far.” Ducky spoke up as he reached for his bag.

Tony looked down at what Ducky was doing. “I would’ve asked Jimmy to remove those for me. If it was on my left hand, I’d done it myself.”

“Mr. Palmer needs more experience in stitching things up, Anthony, not removing stitches.” Ducky looked at the agent and smiled. “I assume he’s the one who helped you keep it clean as well.”

“He’s a good friend.”

Gibbs commented, “The FBI still needs your statement, Tony.”

Tony sighed. “I know.” He looked at Gibbs. “You will be there with me?”

“No other place to be at, DiNozzo.”

“I need to tell you.” He stopped when Gibbs placed his arm on his shoulder.

“Only when you’re ready. I told you that before. You also don’t need to share what you know with anyone else. It might be the same group, but this investigation is about them, not you.”

“Thank you, Gibbs.” Tony looked at his hand. Ducky had removed the stitches and covered it with a light bandage to keep it closed and clean. “Thank you, Ducky.”

“Anytime my boy, anytime.” Ducky patted Tony’s shoulder, took his bag and left the two men behind.

“Do you think I should trust McGee?”

“You know I can’t answer that question, Tony. Only you can. But, whatever decision you reach, I’ll back you up one-hundred percent.”

Tony nodded. “You’re right.” He got to his feet. “Let’s go, Boss. We’ve got some bad people to catch.”

Gibbs grinned, but couldn’t keep the worried look out of his eyes. They had more than a bunch of bad people to catch. They had to catch the man who kidnapped Tony all those years ago and ruined his life. The same man, which, by the way things looked, was trying to get Tony back. He would not allow that. Tony belonged here with them, where he was loved and no place else, especially not as a sex slave.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**BAU – Quantico, Virginia**

Morgan looked up as the doors to their floor opened. A smile appeared on his face as he saw who it was. He got to his feet and closed the distance between him and the three men that entered. “You all right?”

Tony nodded in agreement. He’s much calmer as what he thought he might be, and he’s taking it as a good thing. “I’ve come to give you guys my statement.”

“You made good time,” Hotch spoke up behind them.

“You’ve never driven with Gibbs before,” Tony piped up and ducked even as Gibbs attempted to swat him on the back of his head.

“Yes, I’ve heard that Agent Gibbs’ driving is as formidable as the man himself.” Rossi stepped forward. “Why don’t we move into our briefing room? it’s much more comfortable and I know we won’t need an interview room for this.”

“Tony?” Gibbs asked as Tony stayed still. “You all right?”

Tony closed his eyes for a second and then nodded. “Let’s do this.” He turned to McGee, who accompanied them. “I need you to be there as well, Tim, but please, no questions.”

McGee nodded. He’d seen the way the other agents looked at him. None of them looked impressed, he could understand that.

“Tony?” Morgan spoke up again. “May I talk to you for a moment?”

Tony nodded. “Sure.” He looked around. “Here?”

“I remember Agent Gibbs needs strong coffee, why don’t the two of you go and make some. I think he’ll like it.” JJ pushed them in the direction of their small kitchen.

Morgan nodded and before Tony could respond, he pulled him along. He ignored the rest of the team.

“Derek?” Tony asked as they reached the small space. He looked down at their intertwined fingers. It didn’t feel strange. There was something soothing about Derek holding his hand.

Derek looked down and blushed. He let go of Tony’s hand fast. “Sorry, so sorry.” He tried to hide behind his hand as he ran it over his face.

“Are you embarrassed?” Tony couldn’t help but to smile.

Derek groaned. “Fuck, I’m sorry. It was inappropriate of me.”

Tony gulped. “What if I didn’t mind?” He knew he was taking a huge leap and there was a possibility that he might land flat on his face.

At first Tony’s question didn’t register and Derek looked dumbstruck. Then the words became untangled in his mind and he grinned. “You sure?” He shook his head. “Wait, we need to talk.” He took Tony’s hand as the other man blanched. “Sorry, I’m not trying to scare you or anything, but I need to make sure we’re on the same page.” He indicated to the counter. “Sorry, no table, but I know it’s not that uncomfortable to sit on.” He pulled himself up.

Tony looked at the man next to him. Of all the people in his life, Derek Morgan knew about him the longest. He couldn’t say that Derek knew him the best, as for the past twenty years they had no contact, but still they had a connection he didn’t share with anyone else. “You remember the first thing you said to me?”

Derek smiled. “It’s all right to be scared of the dark, it shows you’re alive.”

“You were the first person in my life who told me it’s okay to be scared. That it doesn’t make me weak. Thank you, Derek.”

Derek reached for Tony’s hand where it rested between them. “The thick bandages are off.”

Tony lowered his head. “I’ve managed to mess it up a bit. But, Ducky took care of me and it’s better now.”

“That explains the busted knuckles on the other hand. You okay?”

Tony nodded and then stopped. “Not really, but I will be.”

“We’re all rooting for you, AD” Derek groaned. “Sorry, it slipped out.”

Tony frowned. “You’ve always called me AD.”

“True, but you’re no longer a 16 year-old, you’ve grown. You’ve changed. I feel like I am bringing up the past every time I call you that.”

Tony cocked his head. “You’ve got it wrong, Derek. You calling me AD reminds me that I’m alive. That I got passed what happened. In a way it grounds me.”

“So you’re not freaking out internally when I call you AD?” Derek had to be sure.

Tony smiled and shook his head. “No, it does not.” He looked down at their hands. “I like this.”

It was Derek’s turn to smile. “Me too, but we’re going to take it slow.”

“I can do slow.” Tony pressed against Derek side and placed his head on the other man’s shoulder.

“Good.” Derek placed a kiss on the top of Tony’s head. “I’m here for you, AD. Always.” He squeezed Tony’s hand and then hopped off the counter. This time when they exited the kitchenette, Derek made sure not to let go of Tony’s hand.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Ziva sat back and watched as the Goth marched across her living room. Abby was seething with anger and although Ziva made sure to hide the fact that she was ecstatic about it, she couldn’t help but to grin. Abby’s anger fit right into her plans.

“Why don’t you calm down, Abby? It’s not going to help you to be so angry.” Ziva sweetly spoke up and reached out to grab Abby by the forearm to bring her to a halt. “What has gotten you so angry?” She asked curiously.

Abby screamed at the top of her voice, her face turned a deep red. “I hate him! He’s ruining everything!” She stamped her foot. “He’s ruining our family.” She swiped away a tear and huffed as she sat down. “Everything is his fault.”

“I’m sorry, Abby.” Ziva lowered her head and sniffled hard.

“No, no, Ziva, don’t cry. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s on him.”

Ziva shook her head. “I went too far, Abby. I was in the wrong. It is my fault that your family is breaking up. I’ll do everything I can do to make it right.”

Abby frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Ziva used her acting talent to look guilty. “I didn’t want to disappoint you, Abby. Please, you have to forgive me.” She grabbed hold of Abby’s hands and enclosed them with hers.

“Ziva?” Abby looked worried.

Ziva looked down at her lap and then spoke softly. “There in the bullpen, I was out of line, Abby. I forget where I was and I spoke my mind. Tony was so condescending towards me, and I couldn’t take it anymore. Unfortunately, Director Morrow from Homeland Security heard me and that’s why he got me removed from the premises. I should’ve held my cool, Abby. I should’ve spoken up and told Director Morrow what happened, but I felt so ashamed and Tony just stood there, not a care in the world.”

Abby growled. “To think I thought of that man as my brother. I will never forgive him for this. Tony has taken it too far this time.”

“NO!” Ziva leaped to her feet. “Sorry,” she sat down again. “Please, don’t you see? This work is my life. You know I can’t go back to Israel, I belong here. I don’t have a choice, I need to apologize so that I can come back to work, Abby. I don’t know what else to do.”

Abby remained silent as she sat next to Ziva. She tried to think of another plan, but nothing came to mind.

“Abby?” Ziva asked hesitantly. “I need a favor from you, please.”

“You can ask me anything, Ziva. You know that.”

Ziva smiled. “I need to talk to Tony. I’ve tried to call him on his cell phone, but he’s not taking my calls. Every time I call the office, either McGee or Gibbs answers. I don’t want to talk to them, not now. You’ve got to help me, Abby. I need to talk to Tony, please.”

Abby wasn’t in any mood to talk to Tony, but if she could help Ziva keep her job she would suck it up and do it. “Why don’t you go to his apartment?”

Ziva shook her head. “He doesn’t answer. I can hear him on the inside, and I know he looks through the peephole, but then he ignores me and I can’t make a scene. He’ll phone the police, you’ll know he’ll do that. I need to get him somewhere else.”

Abby bit into her bottom lip, but then finally nodded. “I’ll help you out. What do you want me to do?”

Ziva hugged her tight. “Thank you, Abby, thank you so much.” She sat back and explained to Abby her plan.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Tony’s Apartment**

Both federal agents got to their feet as someone entered Tony’s apartment. They could hear the person walking around in the living room. Gibbs relaxed when the voice spoke to Tony’s fish and he tucked his firearm away. He nodded to Morgan that everything was in order and he stepped out of the kitchen. “What are you doing here, Palmer?”

Jimmy spun around and nearly screamed as someone spoke up behind him. “Agent Gibbs, I didn’t know you were here. What are you doing here?”

“I asked you the same question.” Gibbs leaned against the wall. He was aware that Morgan was still at his back.

Jimmy held up the grocery bags he had with him. “Tony’s not been eating well, I’m making sure that when he does eat, it’s something nutritious.” He looked around. “Is he here?”

“He’s resting,” Derek responded as he stepped out of the kitchen. They’d been back at Tony’s place for over two hours. At first, they tried to persuade Tony to go to Gibbs’ home, but Tony refused and in the end, they came here. The team Gibbs got to clean up Tony’s apartment did a great job and the new door looked good. But, Tony’s statement took a lot out of him, and after some persuasion Tony finally agreed to go and lay down. It didn’t even take him ten minutes before he was fast asleep.

Jimmy jumped again. “The two of you are really trying to frighten me to death.” He looked at the two men. “I’m actually glad you’re both here. It’s time we talked.” Without waiting for them, Jimmy took a seat. When the two agents stood gaping at him, he indicated to the long couch. “I won’t bite.” He grinned at his own joke, but sobered up as Gibbs glared at him.

Morgan shrugged and took a seat, Gibbs followed him. “What do you want to talk about?” Morgan asked.

Jimmy looked at both men. “You need to promise me, Agent Gibbs that you won’t kill me. Or if you do kill me, just to wait until all of this is done before you tell Tony, I won’t have him upset about anything else.”

Gibbs wanted to snap at the younger man until he realized that Palmer was quite serious. He nodded.

“Good,” Jimmy relaxed. “I need the two of you to tell me what your intentions are with Tony.” Jimmy hastily continued as the vein on the side of Gibbs’ temple started to pulse. Even Agent Morgan grumbled at him. “No, no, I don’t mean it like _that_ , although I sort of do.”

“Then what do you mean, Palmer?” Gibbs snapped.

“That’s what I mean, Gibbs. That, right there.” Jimmy pointed at Gibbs. When Morgan frowned, he continued. “You’ve not worked with Agent Gibbs before, Agent Morgan, but you’ve spent some time in his company this past few days. He’s always grumpy, and sometimes he’s got reason to be so, but sometimes not and most of the times he takes it out on Tony. And Tony, well, he takes it. He’s always making sure that he protects everyone else from Gibbs’ wrath, but no one takes care of Tony. That needs to stop. You need to rein your grumpiness in, Gibbs. If you want to help him, you’ll need to be less grumpy.” Jimmy gulped.

Morgan burst out laughing. “Oh man, I can’t believe it. Kid, you’ve got balls.” He laughed again, even as Gibbs tried to stare him to death.

“I don’t know what’s so funny,” Gibbs responded. “Palmer’s got something to say to you too, Morgan.”

“I’ve done nothing wrong,” Derek grinned.

“Not yet, and you better not.” Jimmy glared at the other man. “Since this whole business started, I’ve not had time to spend with Tony, but I made sure to contact him each evening to chat. And each evening he would tell me something about you, and you’ve got to be blind not to realize that he feels something for you and I won’t have you come in and trample his heart to pieces and then leave again. Tony doesn’t need that. He’s my best friend, and if you can’t give him all of you, then, please, don’t even try. Tony deserves the best.”

It was Gibbs’ turn to laugh. Morgan was staring at the ME’s assistant like he’d grown a second head. “And he doesn’t even know that you and DiNozzo held hands this morning.”

Morgan groaned and Jimmy hissed. “You better not try any funny business, Agent Morgan.” Jimmy got to his feet. He turned as a voice spoke up behind him.

“Thank you, Jimmy.” Tony stood in the doorway to his bedroom. He was dressed in a T-shirt and loose-fitting sweatpants. His hair stood in every direction possible. He closed the distance between them and hugged his friend hard. He’d woken up with the voices in the living room and at first wanted to ignore them and sleep further when he realized that one of them was Jimmy. He was about to come out when he heard what they were talking about and he couldn’t help but to stand and listen first. He agreed with Derek when he said Jimmy had balls to talk to Gibbs like that, but it came even as a bigger surprise when Jimmy called Derek out. He didn’t realize that Jimmy picked up on what he felt for Derek. He wanted so badly to ignore it, but seeing Derek again made him smile and holding the other man’s hand felt right. Tony finally released Jimmy from the hug and stood back. “I don’t want Gibbs to change, I need him the way he is, Jimmy. Just like you and Derek, he grounds me. All three of you do it in different ways, but it’s still important. As for Derek, I like spending time with him, I feel safe with him. More relaxed. I like holding hands with him.” He blushed at the admission.

Jimmy smiled. “As long as both of them understand that they’ll be dealing with me, I’m happy, Tony.”

Tony grinned. He decided not to point it out that both Gibbs and Derek would be able to take Jimmy out without even breaking a sweat. He looked at the shopping bags that stood to the side. He wasn’t hungry, but making food helped him relax, and he could use the distraction. “Anyone hungry?” He picked up the bags and made his way to the kitchen.

“Starving,” both Morgan and Jimmy replied, while Gibbs grumbled something about coffee. Tony pointed to the coffee pot. “Help yourself, Gibbs, while I get dinner ready.” It didn’t surprise him when Jimmy started to help him immediately and he couldn’t help but to smile as Derek also started to help. It was good to be surrounded by friends.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**NCIS: Bullpen**

**3 Nights later**

McGee tapped a pencil against the side of his desk. He’d been staring at his computer screen for the past hour. He was sure he was missing something, something important, but he couldn’t remember what it was. They’d been working the case of the missing girls almost 24-7, with no luck. He was seeing double of everything and wanted to go home, except that whatever he’d forgotten wouldn’t let him settle down. He wanted to kick himself, but knew it wouldn’t help. He looked at the time, it was almost midnight again and it was time to head home. He yawned hard and grabbed his go-bag. He had a few things he needed to check out early in the morning, and he would be able to do that at his apartment. He grabbed the notes he made and reached for the flash drive he always keeps on his desk. Timothy frowned when he found it wasn’t there. He always kept it in the same place. He looked around, but couldn’t find it anywhere. He started opening his desk drawers and the frown on his face reappeared when he finally found it. It was in the bottom drawer, tucked right in the front left corner. It was nearly impossible for the flash drive to be there. He used that drawer, almost never. He can’t even remember the last time he opened it. McGee yawned again and shrugged. He was too tired to think about it now. He’d figure out the mystery in the morning.

McGee shut off the computer and got to his feet. He stretched hard as he tried to get his tense muscles to loosen that bit for him not to move like a stick figure. McGee made his way over to the elevator and pressed the button to go down. His mind was still occupied by the flash drive as he tried to figure it out when he placed it there. As the doors opened and he stepped into the elevator, his knees buckled. McGee couldn’t stop himself from stumbling and he landed hard on his knees. The pain shot through his limbs and palms, but it didn’t matter. He remembered. He groaned as he stayed on his knees as a wave of nausea nearly overpowered him. He’d hacked into the security system for the conference room and recorded the conversation Gibbs had with the BAU team. He’d forgotten about it after Tony arrived and Ziva went crazy. He can’t remember stopping the recording, so technically it still had to be running, but it’d been almost a week and he’d used his computer each day. There was no recording on it, not one that he had to stop. Timothy broke into a cold sweat. Someone was at his computer. Someone had seen what he’d done. That’s how they found out about Tony’s real identity. It must’ve been discussed in the conference room and the person who took the flash drive listened to the recording, heard that. “Fuck!” Timothy groaned as he managed to get to his feet. He managed to get the door of the elevator open again and stumbled back into the large open planned office. He had no choice; he had to find out what happened to that recording and then he had to tell Gibbs what he’d done. His life as an agent was over. For this, he would be fired, maybe even criminally charged. He’s the one who placed Tony in danger. Now, Tony would never trust him again.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**NCIS: Bullpen**

**Following morning**

“McGee?” Gibbs asked as he entered their working area and found his probationary agent asleep at his desk. He received no answer, and he couldn’t help it but slammed his hand hard down on the desk next to the sleeping man. He managed to hide the smile as McGee nearly tumbled from his chair. “Time to wake up, McGee.” He turned away and headed to his own desk. He didn’t see McGee blanch at the sight of him.

“Boss?” Timothy’s voice was scratchy and he had to clear his throat. “Boss?” He tried for a second time. He found himself staying behind his desk, not being able to step closer to Gibbs.

“What is it, McGee? Why didn’t you go home last night?” Gibbs inquired as he looked through the various of reports placed on his desk by different agents.

“Boss, we need to talk.” McGee finally found his voice. He had wrecked his brain in trying to find answers, but found nothing. He had no idea who stopped the recording and what happened to it. He couldn’t find it on his computer and as it was something he’d done illegally, he didn’t make a backup of the recording.

“Talk, McGee and make it fast. I need coffee.” Gibbs threw the empty cup he still held in his hand into the trash can.

“I’m sorry.” McGee stumbled over the words and it was enough for Gibbs’ head to snap up. “For what?” He frowned, but before he could get an answer his desk phone rang. “Gibbs,” he answered as he picked it up. He grunted and then placed the receiver back. “We’ll have to talk later, McGee.” Gibbs reached for the truck’s keys and threw it to the junior agent. “Dead sailor, McGee, duty calls.”

McGee wanted to scream out of frustration, but it wouldn’t help. Gibbs was already on his feet and on his way to the elevator. McGee grabbed his go-bag and jogged to catch up. He could only hope that they get done quickly at the scene. He couldn’t keep this quiet. “Where’s Tony?” He’d not seen Gibbs’ second in command for the last two days.

“Still liaising with the FBI.” Gibbs explained. He didn’t add that it was more for Tony’s own safety that he was still there more than anything else.

McGee nodded. Maybe it was better this way. With Tony not being present, it would be easier to get out what he had done without seeing the devastation that would be visible in Tony’s eyes when he learned of his betrayal.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

They found the body dumped in a public park. It was of a young female, identified as Private Margaret Burrow. She was 23 years of age. She would’ve turned 24 in two days’ time.

Gibbs reached the body first as McGee got the gear from the back. He’d taken the camera himself and started taking the necessary photos. She was lying on her stomach, the top half of her body covered mostly by a large bush. They would turn her around, after Ducky had a look. Gibbs looked up when he heard the ME’s voice sounding nearby. A small smile graced his face for a few seconds watching Palmer struggle under the weight of everything he had to carry. “Ducky,” he greeted his friend.

Ducky shoulders sagged as he took in the scene. “So young.” He hunkered down next to her and took a closer look. “I cannot see too clearly, Jethro, the bush is in the way. We will have to move her before I can tell you anything of note.” He got up and indicated to Palmer to help. Between the two men they moved the body from beneath the bush. The hole in the back of her head made his gut turn. He didn’t say a word as he took more photos. Finally, Ducky seemed satisfied with his own observations and they turned her over. Unless something else unknown killed her, Gibbs had his money on the GSW in the middle of her forehead. He closed his eyes for a second. “Ducky,” Gibbs looked at this friend. “Check her left armpit.” He wanted to hold his breath, but he knew it wouldn’t change a thing.

Ducky’s eyes grew huge at Jethro’s request. He gently lifted the arm away from the body and lowered his head. The small incision was clearly visible to the naked eye. They had another victim on their hands and they were still not a step closer in finding the group than they were the first time around.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Hotchner leaned against his office door and looked down below to where his team was working. Never before had he’d seen such chaos than these few days since Agent DiNozzo, Tony, joined them. The man was a sight to behold. His way of thinking differed from what he, or anyone else on the team were used to. Currently, they were all gathered in a large circle, doing something Tony called holding a _camp fire_. He wasn’t sure what it all entailed except to say that it seemed to deliver results. They had finally found a possible connection between all of the victims and it was through Tony that they did that. All of the victims visited a club on the night of their disappearance. It was never the same club, but Tony had gone through all of the autopsy reports, all of the case notes on the different missing women and then made the connection. An ultraviolet light was used on all of the bodies to detect foreign specimens, not only semen. They also found that they all had a stamp either on a hand or wrist that was done with UV ink. That got Tony thinking and he found out that all of the clubs from where the women went missing used the same company to supply the ink. They were now sifting through all of the information to find the person or persons connected to all of the clubs. That person or persons would have a connection with the trafficking ring. Not even Garcia’s magic could find it. Hotch indicated with his head for Morgan to come up when his agent looked up and caught him staring at them. He moved away from the door and entered the office. He didn’t have to wait long for Morgan to join him.

“You want us to steal him away from NCIS, Hotch?” Morgan asked with a grin.

Hotch had to smile. Seeing Morgan happy made him happy. The fact that they were working such a horrific case and were still able to smile was something that never happened before. “And let the wrath of Agent Gibbs loose on us? I don’t think so.”

Morgan took a seat. “Maybe you’re right. Pretty boy and AD had a four-hour long discussion on chess, and not about the history or the world’s greatest players, but over the pieces, more exact over the pawns.” He shook his head. “Even Rossi said it was too much for him.”

“Morgan,” Hotch took a deep breath.

“They found another body.” Morgan closed his eyes as he spoke up before his supervisor could.

“How did you know?”

“AD.” Morgan leaned back in the chair and brushed his hand over his head. He opened his eyes again. “He doesn’t sleep well. It takes a lot of growls and threats from Gibbs, myself and AD’s friend Jimmy to get him to rest. He doesn’t sleep more than two hours a night. Even the almighty Gibbs gets four hours a night. Trust me I know. Since we finally convinced AD that it would be better for him at Gibbs’ place, I got to experience their nocturnal ritual first hand.” Morgan raised his hands. “Sorry, that’s beside the point. He knows, because he knows Teel. He knows that Teel would be angry at the fact that he didn’t get what he wanted. Teel’s operation turns girls over within five days at the most. Longer if it’s a _special order_. Since Alice Cooper’s body was found almost ten days ago, it was a sure bet that a new group was targeted and taken. He also said that the next victim will most likely have a Navy or Marine connection.”

“Taunting the investigators,” Hotch replied. A voice at his door made him look up.

“Yes, but that’s not the main reason.” Tony stood in the door. His eyes were shadowed. He crossed his hands over his chest. “Teel is always right, it doesn’t matter if a decision he made was the wrong one. It purely meant that whoever was supposed to handle that situation didn’t catch the mistake, and it is then that person who is at fault.”

“So it’s your fault that there’s another victim.” Morgan stood up and reached out, and pulled the man he cared for into the chair next to him.

Tony nodded his head. “Yes. The number of victims we found suggest that he’s been in the area for far longer than before. He’s not moving on because of me. I can remember that we never stayed in the same area for more than a month. He’s been in the D.C. area alone, for almost six weeks.”

“You know it’s not your fault, AD.” Morgan didn’t hesitate as he took Tony’s hand in his.

Tony snorted but nodded. “I know it’s not, but I can’t help feeling that it is.” He suddenly got to his feet. “We need to go to the crime scene.”

“No,” Hotchner spoke up. He remained seated behind his desk. “You’re not going anywhere near that scene. He indicated to the open plan office below. “My team will go and we’ll liaise with Agent Gibbs again.” He looked at Morgan. “We’re leaving in five minutes.” He stood up and exited his office.

Tony made a move to follow, but stopped as Morgan grabbed hold of his arm. “Let go, please.”

“No, because I have a feeling that should I do that, you’ll bolt and that’s not a good idea.”

“So, what? You want me to stay here, sit on my ass and do nothing? I’m no longer 16 years old, Derek. I am a trained Federal Agent, just like you. I know how to protect myself.”

Derek didn’t remove his arm, but pulled Tony close. “True, but tell me this. What do you think will happen there at the scene? Do you think we’ll be able to concentrate on our jobs, letting you walk about with a crazy man after you? We will not be able to concentrate on what we do. We will make mistakes and in the same instance, our attention will be divided, meaning we will let our guard down, and they could attempt to grab you again. You’ve seen what fire power they brought to your apartment. It will even be bigger at the scene, because Teel will know we’ll all be there and we will all have our firearms with us. It will end up in a large bloody battle. No, AD, I agree with Hotch, you cannot go there. If not then for your own safety, then for my team’s safety, and for Gibbs and the rest of your team’s safety.”

“Fuck, I hate this!” Tony lowered his head against Derek’s chest. “Go, I’ll stay and coordinate things from here with Garcia.”

Derek pressed his lips against the top of Tony’s head. “Keep safe.” He let go and walked to the door.

“Those are supposed to be my words.” Tony managed to smile.

“Leaving you alone with my Baby Girl? Hot stuff, that’s a dangerous mission on its own. Trust me, you’ll need to make sure you’re safe.”

Tony laughed as he exited Hotch’s office. “I’m telling, Garcia!” He called out as Derek used the stairs to join his team that stood waiting for him.

“Tell me what, Honey?” Garcia spoke up next to Tony.

“Shit,” Tony nearly jumped out of his skin. As Derek laughed at him, he gave him the middle finger and shook his head. “Just joking, nothing to tell.”

Garcia looked over her orange framed spectacles at him and hummed. “Well, then come along, we’ve got work to do.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards her office where she knew she’d be able to keep him safe. The way her office was built was like a mini war room and should something happen while the team was out, she’d made sure to keep Tony safe.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Tony looked down at his phone again. He didn’t want to ignore the texts that kept on buzzing through, he loved her like a sister and she kicked him to the side, without even taking a minute to hear his side of the story.

“It can’t be that all bad.” Garcia spoke up next to him.

Tony shook his head. “I don’t know, I don’t have the courage to read them. What if…” His voice trailed off.

“What if it’s something good and you are missing out on it if you don’t read it?” Garcia turned her chair around so that she could face him. “I don’t know from whom those texts are, but if it brings you so much heartache by looking at them, you’ve got one of two choices. Take a look, take that chance, or delete them. But to keep wondering, is not going to change anything.”

Tony smiled, not the guarded smile that was part of his well donned mask, but a real smile. “Thank you, Garcia. You’re an angel.”

Garcia blushed. “No wonder my handsome stud is so taken with you, you’ve got such an amazing smile.” She gently reached out and squeezed his hand. “Now, it’s time we kick some ass. While we’re waiting for the team to need us, we still have to see if we can find some sign of our creepy bad guys. I still can’t believe we can’t get anywhere they might be. In today’s day and age, it’s almost impossible. I mean, if we can find their hidey hole, we’ve got them.” Garcia moved back to her workstation, her fingers already moving over the keyboard.

Garcia’s voice faded into the back as Tony realized what she’d said. _Hidey hole_. That was where they were running their business. He bit hard into his lip as he tried not to groan out loud. There was a way to find out where they were hiding out and it was right in front of them the whole time. Tony took a deep breath. He could do it, it wasn’t as if he had a choice. Not if they wanted to rescue those girls. He looked at Garcia. If he wanted to do this, he had to do it as quickly as possible. If anyone found out what he was going to do, they would want to stop him and that wouldn’t work.

“Do you have any snacks in here, Garcia?” Tony asked as he looked around.

Garcia shook her head. “Still need to replace them. It’s been a hectic few days, and I’ve been snacking so fast that they didn’t last as long as it used to. Sorry.” She looked around. “I’ve got some water, if you want.”

Tony smiled and shook his head. “It’s all right, I’ll survive.” He sat back and reached for one of the files he brought with him. He continued to study the file, but not taking in the words. He was formulating his own plan. The longer he thought about it, he knew he was making the right choice. Derek and Gibbs would be pissed, but once he had the information, they’d understand. His phone buzzed in his pocket again and he took it out. It was another text from Abby. Thinking of Garcia’s words, he opened it.

_Tony, please. I’m sorry, I really want to tell you this in person. You’ve been my big brother for so long, please let me tell you how sorry I am._

Tony stared at the text. He had no idea what to make of it. He knew Ziva showed up at his apartment, luckily neither Gibbs nor Derek was present when that happened, and he ignored her calls and deleted her text messages without looking at them. He didn’t need to read them to know she’d be spewing fire and blaming him for everything. But, with Abby, things were different. He cared for her, he trusted her, and yet, with a snap of her fingers she turned on him and now she wanted to say she was sorry. He couldn’t help but to wonder if she was sorry or if she was trying to cover her own back. Tony looked up as Garcia hummed. She was such a bright patch of color, nothing got her down. She was one of the few people that believed in giving someone a second chance. He was willing to give McGee a second chance, so why not Abby? Something inside of him still screamed that it might be a bad idea, that she might hurt him again. But, he missed her and maybe, maybe they could patch things up.

 _Let me think about it._ He fired off the text and closed his phone. First things first. They needed to know where Teel was and when they had the ringleader and his associates in custody, he’d be able to patch things up with Abby. Now, it was time to put his plan into action.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**NCIS: Bullpen – same afternoon**

“Gibbs, Boss, I need to talk to you.” McGee tried not to tremble. The moment they got back from the crime scene, he started another search and found something that left him dead on the inside.

“Unless it’s about the case, it can wait, McGee.” Gibbs fiddled with his phone. He tried to call Tony again, but the other man’s phone kept on going straight to the voice mail.

“No, Gibbs, it can’t.” McGee wanted to snap, but knew it wouldn’t help. He was already so far up shit creek that it would not help him to yell at Gibbs. “It’s important.” He took a breath. “It’s about Tony.”

Gibbs’ head snapped back. He took a good look at the junior agent. McGee looked like a racoon. He was sweating and looked as if he would hurl any moment. His gut churned. “My office,” he stood up.

McGee shook his head. “Think it would be better if the Director heard this as well, Gibbs.” He looked over to where the SSA Hotchner and Rossi stood together. The rest of their team was still at the last crime scene. “I also think it’s something Agent Hotchner should hear.”

Gibbs wanted to object, but the look on McGee’s face told him that it was more serious than what he might believe. He nodded. “Let’s go.” He indicated to the two senior FBI agents to follow them as well.

McGee let go of the breath he didn’t even realized he held and picked up the single sheet of paper from his desk. It was his resignation. He wouldn’t put up a fight. For a moment, he looked over at Tony’s desk before he headed up the stairs. Gibbs was standing at Director Vance’s door. When he reached them, Gibbs nodded and headed in. McGee went in last and closed the door behind him.

“Gentlemen?” Leon looked up from his paperwork.

Gibbs indicated to McGee.

“Agent McGee?” Leon asked as the junior agent remained quiet.

McGee opened his mouth, and then closed it again. He had no idea where to start. He never meant for things to happen this way. He opened his mouth again and groaned. He was so ashamed.

A glass of water appeared in his hand, McGee startled, but still managed to take the glass without spilling too much of the cold liquid. “Thank you, Agent Rossi.” He took a sip of the water with his eyes closed. When he opened them, he started to speak.

“The morning when Agent Hotchner and his team arrived, we - Ziva and I - wanted to know what was going on. With Gibbs not saying anything, and we not being invited, we had no idea what was going on.” McGee turned to Gibbs. “Ziva said something, that at that time I believed to be true.” He lowered his head.

“Spit it out, McGee.” Gibbs ordered impatiently.

“Gibbs,” McGee shook his head. “I promise you, I didn’t know.”

“Damn it, McGee, didn’t know what? What did you do?” Gibbs closed the distance between them, stepping right into McGee’s personal space.

“I hacked into the security system and recorded the conversation between you and the FBI.”

“YOU DID WHAT?!” Gibbs shoved McGee against the wall in a rage.

“Gibbs! Stand down,” Vance walked around his desk and pulled the senior agent from the younger man. “Calm down.” He ordered, although he himself felt anything but calm. “Go on,” he ordered.

McGee didn’t move, but stayed pressed against the wall. He had to continue, he had to tell them what he knew. “I hacked into the security system and recorded the conversation. But then Tony came in, Ziva went bat shit crazy and I forgot about it. We were so busy with the case, that I didn’t think of that recording again.”

“You didn’t listen to it?” Hotchner spoke up. He could see by the agent’s body language that he was saddled with guilt.

McGee shook his head. “No, SSA Hotchner.” He looked down at his feet, but then squared his shoulders. “Yesterday evening I wanted to take work home and I was looking for the flash drive I always use. It’s always on my desk, right of my stapler. It wasn’t there. It wasn’t anywhere on my desk. I looked for it, I found it in one of my drawers. A drawer that I rarely use. It was then that I remembered the recording. I didn’t stop it, so it was supposed to be still running. I checked my computer, there was nothing. Not even the original recording that I started.”

“Are you saying someone else got hold of that recording, stole it from you after you recorded it illegally?” Gibbs’ voice was a whisper.

“Yes.” McGee nodded. “I started looking through all of the security footage of that night.” He sighed. “Ziva came in after two in the morning. She went through all of our desks, and then she sat down at mine. She must’ve seen the recording. She went back to her desk, retrieved something there and then went back to mine. A few minutes there after she straightens everything on my desk and then she leaves.”

Gibbs looked at McGee if he’d grown a second head and then he exploded. Before any of the other men could stop him, he punched McGee once. It was enough as the young man sank to the floor, unconscious.

“And that solved all our problems.” Vance hunkered down to check on McGee. “What do you want to do?”

“Kill him. Kill Ziva. Kill both of them in no particular order.” Gibbs rumbled. “She was escorted from the premises by security, how the hell did she manage to get back in? They were supposed to stop her!”

“I’ll look into that.” Vance tried to remain calm.

“You do that.” Gibbs snapped back. “I want a warrant for Ziva.”

“For what?” Vance helped McGee sit up against the wall when he finally opened his eyes.

“For what do you think, Leon! There’s no chance that it was pure coincidence that they not only found out who he was but where he stayed. They even knew about me. And don’t try and say they could’ve known before then. That’s bullshit, if they knew Tony’s identity they would’ve taken him long ago. She sold him out, Leon. She sold out a fellow NCIS agent without blinking an eye.” Gibbs pulled his shoulders back. “And you better hope you get her before I do, Leon.” He looked down at McGee whose eyes were still a bit unfocused. “As for him, he’s off my team, Leon. I don’t want him near Tony, or near this investigation. There better be formal charges laid against him, Leon. I will not let this be hushed up in any way because you see him as a sort of future super-agent.”

“And what about your behavior, Gibbs?” Vance got to his feet.

“Write me up, do whatever you want to, Leon, but you will not stop me from doing my job.” Gibbs turned away from the director and moved towards the door. “I’m going to find, Tony. With David tangled up in this mess, he’s in even more danger than we initially thought.” He slammed the door shut behind him.

Vance looked at Hotchner and Rossi. “You want him, SSA Hotchner? You can have him on a silver plate.” He sighed and helped McGee to his feet.

Rossi chuckled and shook his head as Hotch’s phone rang. He looked on as Hotch answered the phone and the moment his friend’s shoulders went ramrod straight, he knew something was wrong. “What is it?” He asked as Aaron ended the call.

“Agent DiNozzo is missing.”

“What?” Vance sat down heavily on the side of his desk.

“He told Garcia he was going to the vending machine to buy some snacks and he didn’t come back. She got so busy helping us out that she only just realized that he was missing.”

“How long?” Rossi looked at the door through which Gibbs disappeared and wondered if there was another way out of the building.

“More than an hour and a half.”

“Was he taken?” Rossi frowned. Their building was highly secured, he didn’t think something like that could happen there.

Hotch shook his head. “No. Garcia accessed the cameras in the building. He walked out on his own, but she lost him in the foot traffic.”

Rossi frowned. “What about his phone? Did she try calling him?”

“Left it on Morgan’s desk.”

“What’s he doing?”

“I don’t know.” Hotch responded. He had no idea what agent DiNozzo was thinking, or the reason for his disappearance. “What I do know is that he didn’t want to be stopped.”

“Stop from doing what?” Vance sighed. “Damn DiNozzo and Gibbs. If it wasn’t for the fact that they are the best of this Agency, I would’ve fired both of them long ago. They love making my life unbearable.” He reached for one of his toothpicks, but threw it to the side with disgust. “Gibbs is going to tear this place apart.” He looked at the two FBI agents.

“I’m not telling, Gibbs.” Rossi raised his hands in surrender.

Aaron shook his head. “I’ve got my own agent that I need to tell. Sorry, Director Vance, this one is yours.”

“I hate this job.” He reached for his phone. Hell was about to descend on his office for the second time in less than ten minutes. He should’ve stayed at home this morning.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Stateville Correctional Center, Crest Hill, Illinois: 4 days later**

He leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes. He was bone tired and these past four days were no walk in the park. If it wasn’t for several favors owed to him, he wouldn’t have been able to pull it off. Especially not in this short period of time. But, he did and now, there was only one thing left to do. He knew he had to be patient, look bored, even though everything inside of him was coiled into a tight knot, waiting to snap.

Finally, a name was called and it took him a second or two to realize it was his name that was called. He came to his feet, combed his fingers through his extremely short blond hair and strutted towards the officer who called out his name. With a nod of the head, but no smile, he didn’t want to appear too friendly he handed over his visitation slip. He looked on as the guard used his shoulder radio to call through the visit. He heard the static over the radio and then the guard barked a number at him. For a moment he was confused, but then he saw the numbers and followed them. His was the last cubicle on the far left. He sat down and waited.

“I don’t know who the hell you are…” The man on the other side spoke the moment he picked up the receiver and the monitors connected. He could see the surprise on the man’s face before it morphed into a leering gaze. “Well, I’ll be fucking damned.” He looked around nervously. “What do you want?” He shook his head. “I’ve got nothing to say to you.” He got to his feet.

“Your first parole hearing is in three months.”

It got the man’s attention and he sat down again. “I repeat, what do you want?” He leered and leaned closer to the screen. “How I do wish these screens were bigger, or at least that I could see you face to face.” He cocked his head. “When was the last time someone fucked you properly, boy? You always had the tightest hole, it didn’t matter how many times we used it, it never stretched out. And your throat.” The man’s hand disappeared from view and he moved stiffly in his chair. “You make me ache from looking at you.” He leaned back again and then snorted. “But, I can’t think you’re here to talk about the good old days, what do you want, _slut puppy_?”

He looked at the man on the screen with disgust. “You don’t even remember my name, do you?”

The man laughed. “You only had one name, and you know that. Seems like you’ve forgotten that lesson.

“And yet, I’m on the outside and you’re rotting in there.”

The man seethed, but then spoke up. “Antioco Durante, a.k.a. Slut puppy. The main man’s fuck toy, generally shared among all of us whenever we wanted.” He cocked his head. “All grown up, but still with the silver-gray eyes and baby blond hair. We gave you a taste of life and I’ve got a feeling you’re enjoying it out there. So, whose slut are you now, puppy, hmm?”

He ignored the remark. “I’m willing to ignore the parole board’s call if you tell me what I want to know.”

“And what would that be?”

“Where’s Teel’s hideaway in D.C.?”

The man snarled and came to his feet. The hand around the receiver was white with pressure. “Do I look like a fucking snitch to you?!”

“Sit down,” he snapped out the words and continued even as they both remained standing. “You’re upset because I asked where the hideaway is, yet, you don’t seem surprised to know he’s back and yet?” He grinned. “We both know he could’ve gotten you out at any time. He had the means to do so, but he left you behind. Why? Do you for one moment think he gave a damn about you, Maslak? Or gives a damn about you now? You were his so-called second in command, but he gave up on you without a fight. He fled the country and made sure that no one could trace you back to him. And you’re still loyal to him. You’re even fucking dumber than I told you all those years ago.” He sat down heavily on the chair. He could see the guard sauntering in his direction. They had only about eight minutes left. He had to get the information. He wouldn’t have gone there for nothing.

“Tell me what I want to know.”

“Go to hell.” The man yelled. Spit landed on the screen.

“Been there, done that. Received no T-shirt, but have all the memories.” He leaned back in his chair. “Tell me what I want to know, and I will not let it be known that you’ve been in contact with a wanted man. _That_ , would not go down well with the parole board, now would it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He sneered. “I’m sitting here before you. My name is on your approved list of visitors. What else do you think I can do?”

“You can’t do that!

“And why not? Because it’s against the law?” He shook his head. “I’ve got bad news for you, Maslak, I don’t care about the fucking law. I’ve been waiting for my chance - for twenty years and now it has finally arrived. I want revenge, and you’re going to help me get it.”

Maslak glared at him and it seemed like time stood still. “Fine.”

He leaned in and soaked up the information given to him. He nodded his head and replaced the receiver ending their connection. He had two minutes left. He pulled down the bare thread T-shirt and swaggered past the guard who was still eyeing him and made his way out of the room and then out of the building. He didn’t take a breath until he finally got back into the bright sunlight. His hands shook and he pushed them down the jeans’ pockets. He was nauseous and swallowed hard, he couldn’t afford to lose it now. Without looking right or left, he made his way through all of the security points and finally headed towards the space where he parked the car. It was time to go become himself again and go home.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

He had to take a third look at the man coming from the front before he realized it was him. It made him realize how true the comments were on the AD’s undercover ability. But, there was something about the way he walked which told Derek that AD was nearing his end. He stepped away from the car and closed the distance between them.

“You know Gibbs is planning on killing you with his bare hands, and I’m not far behind him.”

“Not now,” without a further word Tony stepped around him and continued to unlock the vehicle. He wasn’t surprised to find Derek waiting for him. He knew they would figure it out eventually.

“AD,” Derek made to reach for him, but stopped when Tony recoiled from his touch. He lifted up his hands in a non-threatening way. “Easy.”

Tony shook his head. “Just leave me alone, Derek, please.” His shoulders were hunched, but he stayed with his back to the other man.

“I’ll give you space, but I’m not leaving you alone, AD.” Derek leaned back against the adjacent car. He kept his stance relaxed even if Tony couldn’t see him.

Tony nodded. “Phone Gibbs, before he kills you as well.” He stated softly and then got in the car and closed the door. He leaned forward and rested his arms on the steering wheel.

Derek hated the fact that he couldn’t do anything, but still reached for his phone.

 _“You found him?”_ Gibbs’ voice sounded through the phone.

“Yeah, I found him.” He didn’t need to say where. After three days of searching and finally finding a lead in the late hours of the previous night, they found him. Derek had convinced Gibbs that he would go and fetch Tony and bring him back. The fact that he had access to the BAU’s jet made things easier.

_“How does he look?”_

“Like death.” Derek sighed. “He changed his whole appearance Gibbs. He’s blond, removed his color contacts and I’ve seen Marines with longer hair than his.” He could hear the man curse on the other side.

_“Did you try to touch him?”_

“Yes, but he moved away. Told me not to touch him.”

_“Good, don’t. Get him three bottles of water, make sure he drinks at least one of them. Be prepared, he might hurl the one he drinks initially. That’s why there’s a second. Get him some graham crackers and then stay within his sight, but leave him be. He needs to get out of the headspace he placed himself in. If he’s not talking to you in an hour, phone me.”_

Derek wanted to reply, but Gibbs already ended the call. He pocketed his phone and stepped away from the car. He moved towards the other vehicle. He spoke up so that Tony could hear him through the closed window. “Going to get you some water, I’ll be back soon. Open the window so that you don’t fry out in that heat.” Having an idea that he wasn’t going to get any response, Derek left Tony there and headed towards the visitation building. There should be some sort of vending machine there where he could get water from.

It didn’t take him long to find water and to return to the car. Tony was seated in the same way as when he left him, but at least the window was opened. “Here,” he passed the water and the packet of crackers. When Tony took the last item, Derek spoke up again. “I’m here, if you need me, AD.” Derek was grateful for the fact that Tony parked in the front row and that a few feet away there was a tree. He made himself comfortable underneath it and waited. It was all that he could do.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Undisclosed address: Washington D.C.**

“How long till you deliver what you owe me, David?” Teel asked impatiently. “You were so confident in delivering what belongs to me, but now? Now, I’m still empty handed.” He closed the distance between them. “If you do not deliver him to me before the end of the night, I will take you in his place. I’m not into women, but you’ll do nicely.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “And I will find you, David. Trust me.”

“He disappeared for four days, he only came back this afternoon. He changed his look. I don’t know why. I will deliver him tonight.” Ziva spoke in clipped tones. She was angry with herself. It should’ve been a walk in the park to get DiNozzo and remove him from her life forever.

Teel shook his head. “I don’t do well with excuses, David. Do your job.”

“Job?” She snorted. “It’s not a job, I’m doing you a favor.” She gasped out in pain as Teel backhanded her hard. She stumbled, but remained standing.

“A favor?” Teel laughed humorlessly. “ _You_ want him out of your life. You’re the one who walked in here. Did you for one moment think, that I would let you go like that? What do you take me for, a fucking fool?” He roared. “Deliver him, or take his place!”

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**NCIS: Bullpen – late evening**

Gibbs frowned as Morgan with a blond guy stepped out of the elevator. There was something familiar about the guy’s walk. He did a double take when he realized it was DiNozzo. Over the past seven years, he’d seen Tony in different undercover roles, but this one was something different.

“He’s never shown you that side of him.” Rossi spoke up next to him.

“You think. I didn’t think he knew he was able to.” Gibbs ended his sentence abruptly.

“I don’t think he ever wanted you to see that side of him,” Rossi folded his arms across his chest. “Will you be able to handle that new side of him?”

Gibbs’ gaze bored into the other man. “Tony is like my surrogate son. I will support him in any way.”

Rossi smiled. It was the answer he wanted to hear. He changed the subject. “When did you realize he would go to Stateville?”

“When I sat my ass down and thought like he did. It’s the one lead we didn’t think of pursuing. Of course, that would be what he would do.” Gibbs looked on as DiNozzo slowly walked towards them. He could see the vulnerability in Tony’s eyes, his shoulders slumped forward in an attempt not to noticed by anyone. But, the moment he noticed that someone was looking, he swayed, his strides filled with confidence, it could even be labeled as being cocky. He oozed sexuality and it made Gibbs realized, that at this time, Tony was a walking contradiction. His second in command was deflecting heavily, he didn’t want to be seen, but knew people around him would look. He was on the verge of breaking. Gibbs closed the distance between them. “My office,” he spoke the words loud enough for Tony to hear and stepped back, not at all surprised when Tony immediately turned to follow him. He was aware that Morgan tried to follow too, but then Rossi’s voice sounded up behind him and Morgan turned away. He owed Rossi a bottle of the good stuff and would make sure the other agent got it as soon as possible.

Gibbs waited until the doors closed behind them before he turned to Tony and pressed the emergency brake, sending the elevator into darkness. He thought about slapping Tony on the back of the head, but didn’t. Instead, he pulled Tony towards him and pressed his head down so that it rested on his shoulder. He kept his hand at the back of Tony’s head. And waited.

He didn’t have to wait long before Tony’s body shuddered and the first sob broke free. Gibbs held his second in command tight. When Tony’s knees buckled, he managed to get them both on the floor, without letting go. He could feel the wetness on his shirt spread, but it didn’t matter, what mattered now was Tony. After a while the sobs became less and the only sound that remained was Tony’s heavy breathing. He pulled away to pull a handkerchief from his trousers. Wordlessly, he handed it over. “Better?” He asked as Tony wiped his face clean.

Tony nodded, but kept his eyes lowered. “I’m sorry.”

Gibbs tapped him on the back of the head. “None of that. Look at me.” He smiled as Tony lifted his face. “You took a great risk.”

Tony nodded again.

“But you’d do it again in a heartbeat.” Gibbs sighed. “I always thought you were great undercover, but I only now realized how great. This is the first time I’ve seen you – the _real_ you.”

Tony snorted, it sounded weird with his nose blocked. “I’m fucked up, Gibbs.”

The second slap to the back of his head was much harder. “Don’t talk about yourself in that manner. You’re not fucked up.” Gibbs couldn’t keep the growl out of his voice.

Tony’s head snapped back. “It’s time we faced the truth, Gibbs. I am fucked up. I’ve been fucked up for a long time, and it’s not going to get any better, now is it?”

Gibbs wanted to rip Tony a new one, but he realized what Tony was doing and he took a deep breath. “Not going to work, DiNozzo. You’re not going to get rid of me so easily. You’re stuck with me. You’re my _son_ and I’m sticking with you. So, suck it up, DiNozzo.” He pulled Tony to his chest again. He realized that he wasn’t acting like the growly bear he normally was, but Tony needed this side of him now. “You’re not fucked up. You’ve been dealt a shitty deal, even more shitty than I initially thought, but you proved everyone around you wrong. You got up, a bit dented, definitely not fucked up and you showed them. More importantly, you showed yourself, you’re one of the most amazing people I know, Tony and don’t you ever forget that. I’ve got a feeling you know exactly where to get hold of Teel and bring his operation down and even though I’m still angry that you took such a high risk to yourself, I understand why and I’m proud of you. I will always be proud of you.”

“I was so scared.” Tony’s words were so soft that if it wasn’t for the stillness of the elevator, Gibbs might not have heard him.

Gibbs remained silent. He had a feeling there was more to come.

Tony lifted his hand and placed his finger on his eyelid. “I don’t even look at myself in the mirror when I put my colored lenses in, Gibbs. I don’t want to see the color of my eyes. _They_ , always said it changed color, the more frightened I was the deeper the color. They made me look, I hated it. I hated my blond hair. Teel would always make sure my hair was clean. He said that the blond color made me look younger. Made me look like a toddler.” Tony swallowed. “A toddler with large eyes, fuckable lips and an ass that needed to be filled 24-7.” He shuddered. “I color my hair every four weeks, Gibbs. If I can’t get to my stylist, I do it myself. I don’t want it to be blond.” He shivered hard. “It was the first thing I did after they’d placed me in the WITSEC program. I didn’t want to be _me_.” He got silent. When he spoke up again, his voice broke. “I hated myself. I still do.”

Tony’s words made him cringe. Just thinking about Abby, Tim and Ziva’s attitude towards Tony made him realize how strong Tony was, even if he didn’t believe in himself. It made his blood boil if he thought how they betrayed Tony. Gibbs knew he was being harsh on Timothy, tossing him into the same basket as the two women, but he did betray Tony. He didn’t even want to know how Tony was going to react when he heard about the latest fuck up. He’d asked Morgan not to say a word, he personally wanted to broach that subject with Tony. He finally found his voice. “There is nothing about you to hate, Tony. Even if I have to tell that to you each day, I will. You’re special, Tony and I’m forever grateful that you’re on my team, but more importantly in my life.”

Tony couldn’t hide the blush that appeared on his cheeks. He never got used to anyone telling him he was important. He didn’t understand why they thought so. He wasn’t special. He was a fuckup. He hissed as the slap landed against his head. He rubbed the back of his head hard.

“And before you ask what was that for, that was for you thinking negatively about yourself. You are worth it, Tony. I promise.”

Tony lowered his head. “I’ve never heard you talk so much, Boss.” He tried to lighten the mood.

“I will always talk when it’s important, Tony. _You_ are important to me.” Gibbs responded as he came to his feet and pulled Tony up. “Now, we need to get back to work. We’ve got some bad guys to catch.”

Tony nodded. He didn’t have the words to say thank you. He ran his hand over his hair. He wished he could dye it back to the rich brown color he always used, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow he’d make sure that he was himself again, even if it was only in appearance. “Let me hit the restroom, Gibbs. I’ll meet up with you in the bullpen.”

Gibbs nodded. “Meet us up in MTAC.” He released the emergency brake and stepped out of the elevator. He looked on as Tony disappeared in the opposite direction before he made his way up the stairs. He knew the rest of the team would be in MTAC already.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Tony took his time in the restroom. He splashed water on his face and neck, kept his eyes closed even as he did that and reached blindly for the paper dispenser, knocking his hand hard against the side, but only opening his eyes when he faced the wall. With sure strokes, he wiped himself dry and then took a deep breath. He had to hold it together, it was bad enough that Gibbs saw his mini breakdown in the elevator. He couldn’t afford another. “Almost over, Tony, almost.” He spoke softly to himself before he straightened his shoulders and opened the bathroom door.

Tony turned to the left, and then changed his mind. He needed something to drink. He’d manage to stay away from any caffeine the last four days in an attempt to be able to get some sleep, but now he needed the boost. He knew Gibbs would always appreciate a mug of the dark sludge he loved so much. Tony changed direction and headed towards the elevator to go outside. He took out his phone to fire off a quick text to tell the Boss where he’d be.

The elevator doors closed behind him and he realized he wasn’t alone in the metal box. “You?” He sounded surprised. His eyes grew large as the pistol was shoved into his side. “You will not try any tricks, or I will blow you to pieces.” Ziva hissed.

“And how do you think you’ll get out of here alive if you do that?” Tony asked, but remained calm.

“The security here are a bunch of idiots, they will not stop me.” She replied with confidence and jabbed him hard in the ribs. My car is parked out in front, don’t try any tricks.”

Tony bit down on his lip. He knew Ziva; she never made idle threats. “Tell me something,” he started speaking up as he tried to ignore the weapon pressed to his side. “Why was it necessary for you to act as if you struggled with your English so much?”

Ziva sighed. “You were all so easily fooled. You can’t deny it, DiNozzo, all of you, including Gibbs lowered your guard towards me the moment I stumbled over an idiom or two. I mean, how much of a serious threat could I be if I couldn’t even keep all of the American sayings in order. You were all a bunch of fools.” She jabbed him hard with the barrel of the pistol. The doors opened up on the ground floor and she nudged him forward. “No tricks, DiNozzo.” She leaned against him, and smiled as they passed by the guards. Not for a second did she release the pressure she kept on the trigger. “You’re driving.” She smirked and then nudge him towards the trunk of the car. “Open it up, there’s something I want to show you first.”

Tony frowned, but moved towards the back of the car. With a nudge in the ribs, he opened the trunk up. He couldn’t help but to gasp. “What have you done?” He tried to reach out to touch the figure, but Ziva poked him in the ribs and he removed his hand.

“Shut it.” Ziva demanded and then pulled him from the back. “Get in and drive, and if you try anything stupid I’ll make sure you’re not the first one to die.”

Tony had no choice but to obey. He could only hope that Gibbs and the rest of the team realized he was missing. In the meantime, it would be up to him to play for time and pray that they did find him; sooner rather than later.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Morgan looked up as the doors to MTAC opened and Gibbs stepped inside. He frowned as the door shut behind the older agent without AD at his back. “Where’s AD?” He asked as Gibbs joined them in front.

“Restroom,” Gibbs answered curtly, but not unfriendly. He turned to where Rossi and Hotch stood together with the Director. “Tony found out where Teel’s running his operation here in D.C. We need to put our teams together. The sooner we take them down, the better.”

Hotch nodded at the information. “He didn’t tell Morgan where, but he made a deal with Maslak.”

“What deal?” Gibbs frowned. He didn’t like where this was going. He was going to kick DiNozzo’s ass if he did something stupid.

“He told Maslak he would ignore the call when the parole board phoned.” Derek joined the three older agents.

Before Gibbs could respond Spencer spoke up. “It’s become a worldwide phenomenon for people to say one thing, but to mean another. For example, if someone tells you, _maybe_ , it in all likelihood means, never. Or if they tell you they are _fine_ , in most instances, they are anything but fine. We all have to do more than just listen in any conversation. I’ve noted that it is the same with Tony. He says one thing, but in most instances, he means another.” Spencer shrugged as the men stared at him. “I’m saying that in this instance, Tony might well ignore them calling him, but he will not let Maslak get out of prison on parole. Even if he doesn’t do it for himself, he would definitely do it for every other victim that suffered at Maslak’s hands.”

Gibbs grinned. “Sounds like Tony. He will not go back on his word, but he will find a way to work around them.”

“That’s one of the reasons he’s such a talented agent,” Hotchner gave the praise. He looked at Gibbs. “I can tell you now, Agent Gibbs, that if there’s any chance of us stealing him away from you, we will do it.”

It was Director Vance, who took the wind out of Gibbs’ sails. He looked on as the man spoke and wanted to pinch himself to make sure he was indeed awake.

“Agent DiNozzo will be the next director of NCIS, Agent Hothcner, you can’t poach him from us. He’s our best and we’re going to hang on to him.” Vance said with pride. After Morrow had spoken to him when this whole issue erupted, he had another look at DiNozzo’s file. He wanted to kick himself for not doing it earlier. Now, he knew better and there was no way he was going to lose their finest against the likes of the FBI.

Rossi laughed and slapped Hotch on the shoulder. “Told you.” He looked at is watch. “Are you sure he’s all right?” He directed the question at Gibbs.

Gibbs frowned and looked at his watch. It had been more than fifteen minutes. Tony should’ve joined them by now. Without a word, he ran back up the ramp. He had to find his second in command.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

“You’re fired! You’re all fucking fired!” Gibbs didn’t give a damn that Vance stood next to him. He couldn’t believe what they learned. Ziva had walked in right past them without anyone of them stopping her. They’d already looked at the video footage available. Tony had walked off with her. The way she walked right next to him, and a bit at his back, made Gibbs well aware of the fact that she had a weapon pointed at him.

“What’s in the trunk?” Spencer moved closer to the large screen. He’d returned to MTAC the moment they realized that Tony was no longer at the Navy yard. “Garcia,” he spoke to their technician who was on speaker. “Can you get a better angle on Agent DiNozzo’s watch and blow that up for us, please?”

“No problem, boy genius. Just give me a moment.” Garcia walked in silence and Spencer could hear her fingers typing away. An _‘oh my’_ was followed up with a larger image, although it was somewhat distorted. “Is that a person in the trunk?” Garcia’s voice sounded through the speaker.

“Seems like it, Baby girl.” Morgan walked up to the large screen. “It’s too distorted. “Garcia, can you clean it up a bit more?”

“I’m sorry, no. Because we’re only working from a reflection. That’s the best it’s going to get.”

Morgan had no words. He looked around in the room. Each and every agent had a scowl etched on their faces. “Is it someone that AD knows or a stranger?” He asked the question out loud.

“Someone he knows,” Gibbs answered, his back turned to the screen. “Tony rarely initiates physical contact with someone he doesn’t know. He tried to reach out and touch the person in the trunk before she stopped him.”

Morgan looked around the room. “Where’s Doctor Mallard and Jimmy?”

“Out on a scene with one of our other teams.” Vance responded to the question.

“McGee?” Gibbs surprised himself as he inquired about the junior agent.

Vance sighed. “Up in my office. He’s with his lawyer.”

Gibbs grunted at the information. After stewing about what McGee did, he’d calmed down a great deal, but was still firm on the point that he wouldn’t be able to work with the kid anymore. And of course, they had no idea how Tony would feel about the younger man once he found out what McGee had done.

“What about the Goth? Abigail?” Rossi looked around the room for confirmation.

Gibbs reached for his phone. He’d forgotten about Abby. He was still angry with her, and she’d been keeping a low profile, but he still didn’t want her to get hurt. He held his breath as her phone rang. When it went over to the message service, he headed towards the door. “I’m going to check up on her.” He spoke as he took the stairs three at a time.

Vance reached for the phone on the desk and called down to the labs. He frowned when the phone remained unanswered. He knew that there was a possibility that she might be doing her work with that music of hers blasting loudly and therefore not hearing the phone. Gibbs’ option to go in person, was the better call.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

The moment Gibbs entered Abby’s lab, he knew she wasn’t there. It didn’t even look like she came in that morning. Most of her apparatus was still shut down, even her beloved Major Mass Spec. There was not a single Caf-Pow cup in sight. He cursed silently and reached for his phone again. He needed a team to head over to her apartment and also to check in with the Sisters to see if they knew where Abby might be.

He knew that if Ziva indeed had Abby, Tony would do anything in his power to keep the dark headed Goth safe. It didn’t matter how badly Abby treated Tony, Tony cared about her. He could only hope that after this mess, that Abby would finally realize that.

“She took Abby,” Gibbs reported even as he exited the lab to go back to MTAC. He didn’t say anything else, but ended the call. Gibbs wanted to kick himself, he should’ve known better. He should’ve called Abby the moment McGee revealed what he’d done. But it was too late now to think about what he should’ve, or could’ve done. Gibbs trampled hard on the little voice that asked if it would’ve made a difference in Abby’s attitude towards Tony. He couldn’t think about that now. Now, he had to find Abby and Tony before it was too late.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Undisclosed address: Washington D.C.**

Ziva didn’t even raise an eyebrow when one of the goons picked Abby up like a sack of potatoes and dumped her on the concrete floor. She turned her head as Tony shouted out in anger before a well-aimed butt of a pistol brought him down to his knees.

As Tony slumped forward Ziva focused her attention to the cells around them. They were back in the large arena with the different cells, or a better description would be – stalls – around them. This time, they were all filled. She could see several women staring at them through the narrow bars. All of them looked terrified. Several were shivering, one or two of them outright crying.

“Well, well, it seems like you’re actually capable of keeping your word, David.” Teel stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed in tight leather pants, with high boots and had what seemed to be a riding crop in his right hand. He tapped it lightly against his thigh. At the sight of him more of the women started crying. He grinned. “They’ve only been here for a couple of days and they already fear me. It’s wonderful!” He exclaimed as he spun around. He giggled and then slowly made his way over to where Tony was on his hands and knees. A well-placed boot to his back prevented him from getting up.

“I thought you’d at least try and get rid of some of your anger you have in you, David, but you’ve got some amazing control over your emotions. I appreciate that in a woman.” Teel walked around Tony. His eyes fastened on Ziva.

Ziva cocked her head. “You wanted him in a good condition.” She barely managed to keep the disdain out of her voice.

Teel ignored her and walked around Tony again. The man that had Tony pinned with his boot, moved away. “You’ve grown so much since I’ve last seen you my, slut puppy. I have to say, you at least kept yourself into shape.” He brought the crop up and hit Tony across the back. “You do seem to have forgotten one of my most important rules, slut. You are dressed. Surely, you remember that I hate seeing you wearing any clothes.” A second stroke landed on Tony’s back.

Ziva was impressed. Although Tony’s wrists buckled when the crop hit his back and he wobbled on his knees, he showed no sign of being hurt. The second hit had ripped Tony’s shirt and she could see the angry mark that decorated Tony’s back. He made no attempt to move from his position, nor did he make any attempt to rid himself of his clothes.

“Tsk, tsk. As stubborn as always I see.” Teel actually smiled. “I broke you once, I’ll do it again.” A third stroke landed on Tony’s back. This one drew blood. Teel ignored Tony and walked towards the unconscious woman. “Who is this?” He used his boot to push her over so that she lay on her back.

“Leverage,” Ziva responded.

Teel nodded. “Clever. Using something he cares about to get him under control. Worked well all those years ago as well.” He kneeled next to Abby and touched the collar around her neck. “Trained?”

“A wannabe Goth.”

“Mm,” Teel cupped her face. “Good bone structure. She’ll fetch a fair price.” He reached for her breasts, but a snarl from Tony made him pull away. “Ah, it seems my puppy still has some spark in him. “What? Don’t you like it when I touch her?” He squeezed Abby’s breast hard.

Tony growled, and before anyone could move, he jumped to his feet and tackled Teel to the floor. It was then that Ziva realized that Tony wasn’t as out of as she thought; he had been biding his time. She moved backwards as Tony got in one good hit after the other. From where she stood, she could hear the moment Tony crushed Teel’s nose; blood sprayed everywhere. She could see that Teel tried to fight back, but the years of Tony training with Gibbs made him a good fighter and he held on. That was until the same burly goon from before, pistol whipped him again. This time even harder and with a groan Tony slumped forward, unconscious.

“Took you fucking long enough!” Teel yelled as he got to his feet. “He broke my fucking nose!” He kicked at Tony, while at the same time he used the riding crop on anybody that was near enough to feel its sting. He spat to the side, blood and spit landed on the hardened floor. His hair was disheveled and he was unsteady on his feet. “Throw her in with the rest and take him to my room. Ready him for punishment.” He turned to Ziva. “Unless you want to join her, I would say it’s time you left.”

Ziva nodded her head and turned without a word. She never saw Teel taking the pistol from the goon next to him. When the shot rang out, she knew she’d made the biggest mistake of her life, but by then it was already too late.

“Stupid bitch. Did she now for one moment think, I’d let her go free? I’m no fucking fool!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. “Get rid of that.” He turned around and looked at the faces that stared at him through the bars of the different cells. “Welcome to my world, girls. Welcome!” He giggled as he walked away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Tony awoke to a world of confusion, which gave way to immense pain. He gasped for air as the waves of agony rolled over him, not giving him a second of respite. He breathed through his nose, in an attempt to protect his body from exploding as he tried to suck in the air that he needed to breathe. At the same time, he tried to remember what had happened, but he kept on coming up with nothing. He couldn’t even remember the last thing he remembered.

A noise at his back made him realize that he wasn’t alone and he stilled his movements. His breathing was still uneven, but the trembles that wrecked him, ebbed away. He cocked his head, and even though his head was throbbing, he concentrated on listening. The small movements gave the person away. Tony had no idea how much time he had and what would happen to him next; he had to try and sort out his thoughts. He had to remember. He bit hard on his tongue as a groan threatened to escape. Until he had a clue what was going on it was better to play possum. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas.

It was the sound of leather against leather that brought every memory right back to where they belonged. It was also _that_ sound which made him gasp and shiver. He had no control over his body as he realized where he was and how he ended up there. It also explained the fact that he was stark naked.

“Finally! I thought you’d never wake up.” Teel spoke out behind him and Tony gasped. He struggled weakly against the shackles that kept him bound. He had to get away; he couldn’t be here. He closed his eyes and shook his head as images of his past threatened to overtake him. He couldn’t think about that, it wasn’t him. He whimpered softly.

Tony had no idea when he opened his eyes, but he noticed the boots in front of him at the same time his hair was grabbed and his head was forced back. For the first time in twenty years he looked at the face of Markus Teel again.

“I never thought I would say these words, boy, but, I’ve fucking missed you so much.” Teel kept the hold he had on Tony’s hair and pulled him forward. He smashed their mouths together, biting hard making Tony gasp and then forcing his tongue into Tony’s mouth.

Tony gagged and tried to pull away, but the grip on his head was too strong. He closed his eyes. He didn’t want to be there. All of the walls he’d build around him to keep this nightmare away, came tumbling down. He wanted to sob, but something shifted inside of him. He was no longer that terrified teen. He was a trained federal agent. One who’d managed to survive Leroy Jethro Gibbs on a daily basis. Tony did something that was beaten out of him by the same monster that stood before him now. He bit down hard and it had the required effect as Teel pulled away. The blow to his face made his ears ring, but it was expected. Teel could beat him to death, but this time he would not give in.

“Fucking, whore!” Teel spit out the blood and blotted his tongue on his shirt. It came away red. He swallowed and could taste the blood as it travelled down his throat. “You’ll fucking pay for that, slut!” He backhanded Tony again. He stepped away with a gleam in his eyes. “Seems like you’ve forgotten what happened to those who bite. But, don’t worry, I’m happy to repeat that lesson again.”

Tony lifted his head and grinned. “You hit like a girl, Teel.” Tony managed to sneer, even though it felt to him as if his heart was ready to jump out of his throat. “Take my advice. Unless you want to permanently get rid of your tongue, or even your prick, I would strongly suggest that you don’t stick it down my throat. I’m no longer scared of you, Teel.” Tony tested the bindings around his wrists. “You better make sure this is secure, because, I promise you, Teel, when I get free, I will kill you.” Tony spat in the man’s face and groaned as the hit snapped his head back. He turned his head and smiled. “Yep, like a girl.”

Teel saw red and he brought the riding crop he had in is hand up and he swung it hard. The first stroke landed diagonally over Tony’s left cheekbone. The force behind it strong enough to split the skin and sprayed both men in blood. The smell spurred Teel on and he brought the crop down over and over again.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Stateville Correctional Center, Crest Hill, Illinois: 8 hours later**

Rossi knew the look on his best friend’s face well. It was the one of pure determination. Aaron Hotchner was on the warpath, and it didn’t bode well for anyone who attempted to stand in his way. “I think Agent Gibbs is rubbing off on you.” He spoke up to ease the building tension in the room.

Hotch lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t respond. Instead, he turned the page of the file he was reading. It was the first real chance he’d gotten to read up on the man they were about to see. Orest Maslak. Teel’s second in command. On paper only, it was clear that they were dealing with a monster. One that needed to be removed from society, permanently. It bothered him that he would be eligible for parole in a few months’ time. He would make sure that the parole board had his insight on the matter as soon as possible.

Rossi straightened from the wall and Hotch closed the file as they heard the sounds of shuffling feet and rattling chains coming their way. Hotch leaned back against the chair and waited. Both men turned their heads as the door opened and the guard brought in the prisoner. Neither one uttered a word as Maslak was shackled to the floor and desk. Hotch nodded his head at the guard and remained quiet as the man left the room and closed the door behind him. He focused his whole attention on Maslak. The room remained silent.

Maslak tried to stare the man down who sat across from him, but found it unnerving as the man didn’t blink. Finally, he gave in and blinked first. “What do you want?”

Rossi took out his badge with credentials. “SSA Rossi and Hotchner. We’re from the BAU.”

Maslak frowned. “What the fuck is the BAU?”

“Behavioral Analysis Unit.” Hotch’s soft voice supplied the information.

Maslak grinned. “Have I been a bad boy? Did you come to correct my behavior?” He laughed at his own joke.

Hotch only stared, not even interested in delivering a reply. They were here to get Maslak to talk and nothing more. He waited until Maslak began squirming in his seat before he spoke up. “Antioco Durante.” He only said the name and picked up the way Maslak’s shoulders tensed up at the name.

“I don’t know him.”

“You sure?” Rossi pushed himself away from the wall and made his way over to the table.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Maslak leaned back.

Hotch opened the file and took out the photo of Tony taken after he was admitted to hospital. He looked on as Maslak licked his lips.

“Is that him?” Maslak’s eyes stayed glued to the photo.

“You tell us.”

Maslak shrugged and remained quiet.

Hotch removed a second photo. “Maybe this will jog your memory.”

Immediately Maslak looked away.

Rossi leaned in, while Hotch remained still. “Now, you remember him?”

Maslak straightened and shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t.”

Hotch slapped the table hard. It made Maslak jump, his chains rattled. “You want to try that again? He visited you less than thirty-six hours ago.”

Maslak shook his head. “No, he didn’t.”

“You’re really going to play stupid.” Rossi shook his head. “He’s on your approved visitors list. He spent twenty-seven of his allotted thirty minutes with you. It’s clear on the video footage that you had a heated argument. He was here. You know him. He’s the reason why you’re behind bars.” Rossi pulled the chair out so that the chair legs dragged over the floor. He sat down heavily.

Maslak looked between the two men. He knew it wouldn’t help if he denied putting the slut on his visitors list. “What do you want?”

“What you told him.” Hotch spoke up again.

Maslak laughed. “Why don’t you ask him?”

“Because we’re asking you.” Hotch responded.

“Yeah? And what’s in it for me?”

Hotch smiled. He opened the file again and took out several crime scene photos. He laid them out in front of Maslak. “Now, I know you haven’t seen these before. And here I’m talking about the photos, not what’s going on in the photos, because for that, you were there.”

“I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Just like you had no idea who Antioco Durante was?” Rossi sighed. “This is getting boring, Hotch. Let’s do this my way. It will be so much more interesting.”

Hotch held up his hand in a calming manner. “Let’s not get over excited, Rossi. We have to give Mr. Maslak the opportunity to help us out.”

“It’s not going to work, Hotch. It’s clear he’s not willing to talk. We’re wasting our time.”

Hotch looked as if he thought things over. “You’re right. He’s not going to help.” Hotch got to his feet and gathered the different photos and placed them back in the file. He turned to leave, Rossi right on his heels. He turned to face Maslak again. “Do you know Patrick Saint Clare? He’s serving twenty life sentences.”

“He’s one mean son of a bitch. Or, so I’ve heard. I don’t know him personally.”

Hotch shrugged. “That’s no problem.” He walked to the door and placed his hand on the handle. “Those photos I showed you? They were taken twenty-three years ago. They’re from an unsolved murder. A family of five was executed. There was only one survivor. Saint Clare himself. He was thirteen at the time. His whole family was eliminated. He lost everything he had in life in that thirty minutes it took for his family to die. That’s what shoved him over the edge. That’s the reason why he killed all of his victims. He made one thing clear, that he would hunt for the person or persons responsible for killing his family until the day he dies.” Hotch smiled. “And to think you’re now in the same prison.”

Maslak paled at the words. “What are you talking about?”

Hotch shrugged. “I’m just saying. Both of you are guilty of some hideous crimes, the motivation behind the crimes are different, it’s strange how people’s backgrounds can differ so much, and yet in the end they both end up in the same system.” He took another step forward. “You’ve been behind bars for so long, you don’t know about half of the technology that’s available out there. On the medical side of things alone, the ability to detect DNA and to analyze it has grown beyond your imagination. They were finally able to identify the Saint Clare family murderer. To everyone’s surprise, the murderer is here in this prison. The DA got in touch with Saint Clare’s lawyer. They will be telling him as soon as possible who the killer is and then they will affect the arrest. It might be too late to save Patrick himself, but at least it will give him some closure.”

Maslak looked around, his pupils blown, sweat covered his face. “What are you offering me?”

Rossi turned back first. “What are you talking about?”

“If I tell you what I told, _slut puppy_ , I mean, Antioco Durante, I want protection, I want to be transferred to another facility.”

Hotch frowned. “Why?”

“Fuck, you know why!” Maslak slammed his fists into the table and tried to get to his feet. The shortened chains on his legs made it impossible for him to stretch out to his full height.

Hotch held up his hand to stop the guards from entering the room. “Start talking.”

“NO! NO! Promise me, promise me you’ll get me out of here.”

Hotch walked around the table. “Start talking.” He leaned into Maslak’s personal space. His eyes as cold as ice.

Maslak started to talk and told them everything. In less than two minutes they had what they were looking for. Hotch nodded his head. “You’ll get your transfer.” Without looking back, he finally opened the door and walked out.

Rossi smiled. “I thought Saint Clare was transferred out of here this morning?” He didn’t even comment that the DNA results were still inconclusive, or for the fact that Maslak confessed for all intents and purposes to the murder of a family that remained unsolved for twenty-three years.

Hotch smiled. “And Maslak’s transfer will be approved by the end of the day. I wonder if they will end up being bunk buddies at their new home?”

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Undisclosed address: Washington D.C.**

Abby woke up moaning. Something was tapping her cheek lightly. It was irritating and she swatted the thing away and opened her eyes. Abby frowned. She had no idea where she was. She groaned as the aches in her body made themselves known. With a frown on her face, she looked around.

“Where am I?” She cleared her throat as her voice sounded gruff. She noticed four other women with her. Their hair and clothes were not clean, one of them clearly cried; the tear streaks still visible on her face.

“We don’t know.” A woman to her right spoke up. She looked about twenty-two. “I’m Sonya.” She introduced herself and turned to the others. “That’s Nelda, India and Cara.”

Abby looked around as she was introduced to the others. She then noticed the room they were in and the heavy door that seemed to be the only exit. “Human trafficking.” Abby groaned as she realized what she said out loud. The four women with her all started babbling at the same time. Abby tried to get them to quiet down, but their volume rose and Cara started crying again. Abby whistled hard. The others hissed in pain, but finally quieted down. “I’m sorry. But you’re making me crazy and I know I’m not one to talk, because I can talk and talk and talk, but now, now’s not a time to talk, now I’ve got to concentrate.” Abby crossed her legs, ignored the women around her and closed her eyes. She had no idea how she ended up being here. Abby wished for a Caf-Pow, but knew now was not the time to think about drinks, even if it made her think better. She didn’t need to check her pockets to know she didn’t have her phone, because phoning Gibbs would be the first thing she would’ve done. It was the thought of Gibbs that brought all of her misplaced memories swarming back in her head. “Ziva!” Abby shoulders sagged as she remembered what had happened. Ziva betrayed her. The woman she thought of as a friend, even a sister had come to her apartment. Abby knew they were talking, drinking tea. But then things became fuzzy. Ziva drugged her. She remembered being unstable on her feet. She tried to fight Ziva, but the ex-Mossad officer had no problem in overpowering her. The last thing Abby remembered was the sneer on Ziva’s face before she blacked out.

She became aware of her own sobs when someone sat down next to her and pulled her close. “Shh, it’s all right.” The voice tried to sooth her down. Abby shook her head. She knew it wasn’t all right. The team, Gibbs, had no idea where the women were kept and Ziva was part of this. Ziva had betrayed them all. Thinking of Ziva made Abby angry and she pulled her shoulders back and wiped away her tears. She had to think clearly if she wanted to get out of this mess. She couldn’t wait to face Ziva and punch her right in the face. Abby made a fist and kept it clenched. She had to remain angry, if not, her tears would start flowing again. She took a deep breath. “How long have I been here?”

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**NCIS: Bullpen – 24 hours later**

Morgan looked up when a shadow landed over the file he was working on. He frowned when he saw who it was. “What are you doing here?”

“I know I’m suspended and most likely fired, but I need you to listen to what I’ve got and help me to convince Gibbs that I can help.

Morgan cocked his head. He looked over to where JJ was seated at David’s desk. Spencer was at the man’s desk and stood in front of him. Gibbs, together with Rossi and Hotch were up in the Director’s office. They were discussing the information gathered from Maslak. A raid was organized at the site Maslak indicated Teel was, but it was found to be empty. It seemed like Teel had found another place and that they were back to square one. His hand still stung where he slammed his fist against the wall after that failed attempt. It was also the main reason he was downstairs seated with Reid and JJ rather than being in the Director’s office. He and Gibbs had growled at one another one time too many. If it wasn’t for Rossi’s quick action, the two men would’ve traded blows.

“Please,” McGee was ready to go on his knees to beg.

“Give him a chance, Derek. Agent McGee could’ve stayed quiet about that recording and we would’ve been none the wiser.” Spencer voiced his opinion.

Morgan looked over at JJ. When the agent nodded her head, he spoke up. “What do you have, Agent McGee?”

McGee’s shoulders sagged in relief. “I believe I found a way in which to trace the microchips implanted in the missing women to a possible location.”

“How?” Morgan leaned forward while both JJ and Spencer came to their feet.

McGee took a deep breath and started to explain. “We discovered that the last microchip we found was stolen out of a laboratory here in D.C. I contacted the lab and found out that a set of fifteen microchips were stolen. The lab provided us with the serial numbers of the microchips. I can run a trace on those serial numbers to see if any of those microchips are active. With the satellites in orbit, we should be able to get a trace on it and track it to the location through GPS pings.”

Morgan caught JJ and Spencer’s eyes and held their gaze. He had a feeling that McGee was right, they indeed had a way of tracking the missing women. He nodded his head. “Let’s go.” He pushed to his feet.

“What about Gibbs?” McGee asked nervously.

Morgan frowned. “I don’t think he’ll kill you when he hears what you have to say, Agent McGee. I do however think that this idea of yours will help in not only finding the missing women, but also Tony and your friend Abby.”

McGee bit down on his bottom lip but then nodded. “Yes, you’re right. I came here to help, even if Gibbs wants to kill me, he’ll at least wait until I’ve explained.”

“Good, let’s go.” Morgan led the way. He looked back where Spencer and JJ stayed put. “Will you call the cavalry together, I have a feeling we’ll need them soon.” Although it was a joint operation, the BAU still took the lead and it would be their response team that would go in with them to retrieve the missing women.

“I’ll let Captain Myers know to come in. MTAC is big enough to coordinate the operation from here.” JJ assured her teammate and friend.

Morgan nodded and then took the stairs two at a time. Hopefully they’d get Tony back even before the day came to an end.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Undisclosed address: Washington D.C.**

After a long hard night, Abby had finally managed to get her emotions under control and started to think more rationally. She needed information, as much as possible, especially if she wanted to get out of there. Last night she couldn’t think straight, didn’t ask the questions she had to. But now, she had to find out what happened to Ziva. Just thinking about the other woman made her bristle with anger. She could gouge Ziva’s eyes out without a second thought. She turned to Sonya. “Who brought me in? Was there a woman with long dark hair?” She was unconscious longer than she initially thought, still shocked that she had been there more than a day. A look passed between the different woman and Abby frowned. “What are you not telling me?”

Sonya first shook her head, but then she sighed. “Fine,” she flicked her hair back so that it was out of her face. “You were brought here by a man and a woman. At first, we thought the man was the bad guy, but it turned out to be the woman.” Sonya looked at the others in the cell. “The man was upset when they dumped you on the floor and he tried to intervene, but they hit him with a pistol over the head.” Sonya started to explain. She explained how the man who was holding them captive touched Abby’s breasts and how the man attacked him. By that time most of the women were crying. Sonya took a deep breath. “This man was severely beaten and then taken away. The woman was told to leave, but then…” She shuddered and closed her eyes. “But then he shot her.” Her voice trailed off. “I’m sorry.” She hugged Abby close as she saw the look of utter shock on the dark-haired girl’s face.

Abby had no idea what to say. She couldn’t believe what they’re telling her. She looked up. “Is she dead?”

Sonya nodded. She swallowed hard. “He shot her in the back of the head.”

Someone retched behind her and Abby found herself feeling sick to the stomach as well. “Ziva is dead.” She uttered the words out loud to no one in particular. She wanted to feel happy, but there was a numbness inside of her. She shuddered and then started to sob again. The tears didn’t want to stop. She was pulled close again, but it didn’t help. Abby was lost in her anger and frustration, but also in her grief. She wanted to ask about the man, but she couldn’t get herself to talk, instead she could only cry.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Tony awoke yet again in a world of hurt. His whole body, including his face throbbed. He found himself shackled to a beam, his arms stretched above his head, his feet chained to the floor. He could not see out of his left eye, and the right one was blurry. Tony looked around. It was definitely not the same room he found himself in the last time. This room was barren, the walls and floor dirty and cold.

Tony knew he had to take stock of himself. He needed to know if he had any broken bones or any injury that might be life threatening. Not that he was in a position to do anything about it, but it was better to be aware. He looked down his body, he was still naked and blood coated his skin. He could see the lacerations left behind by the crop. Some of them were still oozing blood and he had a feeling that they were deep enough to require sutures. There wasn’t an inch of skin that wasn’t bruised. He tried to take a deep breath, but decided it was not a good idea as his ribs complained at that simple act. Tony knew he had to try to keep on taking deep breaths, but with the pain that travelled through his body, he couldn’t help but to keep his breathing shallow. No bones were sticking out of his skin, so it didn’t appear that any had been broken. Tony lifted his head and a red flickering light in the corner made him aware that he was being watched. It also meant that any escape attempt wouldn’t go unnoticed. Tony twisted his wrists and hissed. Seemed like they were raw underneath the steel bindings. Without the camera present, he would’ve continued to rub his wrists, hoping that the blood would make them slippery and give him an opportunity to slip free of them. Now, he didn’t have that option, but it didn’t mean he would accept his fate. He would get free, Teel would not keep him captive again. If he couldn’t escape, he would find a way to kill himself. They were the only two choices he had left.

The door to the room opened and Teel swaggered in. On his heels, three men followed. Tony managed to glare at them.

“My slut puppy is finally awake,” Teel came to a halt in front of Tony and traced the various marks on Tony’s body with his finger. The three men with him took their places against the wall. “Your skin always looked so much better with a few marks on it. Unblemished skin is not a good look on you.” Teel brought his hand up and twisted Tony’s nipple hard.

Tony groaned and tried to twist away, but couldn’t manage. “Fuck off, Teel.” Tony growled and hissed as the man in front of him twisted the nipple again. The nip hardened, but Tony felt no pleasure.

“Tsk, tsk, such foul language, puppy. You’ve certainly forgotten your manners. Do you remember how sweetly you could beg for me? You begged for more and more. It was as if you couldn’t get enough.” Teel walked circled Tony’s body. “I’ve decided to hold a party in your honor. We’ve got an auction going live in under two hours, and I’ve made sure to let all of the potential buyers know that there would be a surprise for them before they can bet on the latest merchandise.”

Tony closed his eyes. He didn’t want to remember. It took him years to rid himself of the nightmares and night terrors that plagued his sleep, robbing him of his rest at night. He knew Teel was right, at one stage he did beg. But he did it to survive, not because he wanted it. If he begged, Teel didn’t get creative, things would be over with so much quicker, and Teel didn’t share him with anyone else. He was still raped, still assaulted, but only by one monster and not by a group of monsters who would take their time and turns with him, making him gag and bleed, wishing for death to come and take him away. He opened his eyes. “I will not beg.”

Teel smirked. “But I know you will.” He laughed out loud. “So many things have changed, puppy. Including drugs. You will beg, and you’ll be sporting an impressive hard on because that is what I want. You belong to me and no one else. You will do as I say and you will enjoy every moment of it.” He palmed himself through his trousers. “Just thinking of having you beneath me, makes me hard.” He circled Tony and came to a halt at his back. “You remembered what I wanted to do on your back, slut? You remembered how you begged me to do it, but then you escaped and you ruined all my plans!” Teel shouted and hit Tony on his lower back, right over his kidneys.

Tony had no warning and screamed in pain as the fist connected with his body. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was hanging from his arms, his legs would’ve given way and he would’ve collapsed in a heap. Before he could get his breath back, a second hit followed, right on the same spot. Tears leaked from Tony’s eyes, he bit into his lip, and refused to give in to the pain.

Teel hit him another few times before he circled him again. He was grinning from ear to ear. “I’m going to properly mark you as mine, pup and then I’m going to take you over and over in front of the camera and by that time, I can promise you, you _will_ beg for more.

Tony wanted to respond, but he had no breath left in him. Black spots formed in front of the only eye he could see through, but he managed to lift his head and stare at Teel. Finally, he shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “Never,” the black spot grew larger and Tony gave into the darkness that teased him. His eyes closed and his body sagged forward, giving him a brief respite of the pain that he experienced.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**NCIS: MTAC**

Gibbs took another swig of his cold coffee. He grimaced at the taste and for a moment he thought of spitting it out, but then swallowed. It had been a long night and it didn’t look like the end was in sight. When Agent Morgan entered MTAC with McGee in tow, he personally wanted to shoot both men. Fortunately, Rossi managed to convince him to listen and finally it seemed like they had a way to find Tony, Abby and the missing woman. The BOLO for Ziva had yielded no results as yet. Vance had gone so far as to put a unit in front of the Israeli Embassy to see if Ziva showed up there, but so far nothing.

On Doctor Reid’s suggestion they tested McGee’s theory by placing a microchip in Vance’s pocket and were able to track his movements throughout the building. Now McGee was busy scanning for the microchips that were stolen to see if he could pick up something. It had been over five hours and he was starting to lose his patience. Gibbs was about to bark out to McGee when the screen McGee was seated at, lit up and it emanated high pitch sounds like an alarm going off. It was as if someone pressed the restart button in the room as each and every technical analyst and agent came to their feet and started scrambling around.

“What do you have, McGee?” Gibbs closed the distance between them and looked over McGee’s shoulder at the screen. It didn’t make much sense, except that there was a green dot that kept on flashing.

McGee didn’t respond to Gibbs’ question, instead, he let his fingers fly over the keyboard, sending out commands to the different satellites in orbit. He looked up at the large screen when it flashed from standby to life. He typed in more commands, adjusting the lighting and then they could make out what appeared to be a large warehouse. They had a visual of where the pinged microchip was, and hopefully it meant that the woman, Abby and Tony would be there.

“Where’s that, McGee?”

McGee entered another set of commands and heat signals came up. The place filled with life. He did a quick headcount and reached twenty-eight. “The old fairgrounds, Gibbs.” He’d heard about the place, and knew that there were horse races held in the 1880’s, but had never been there. He knew that a fire broke out that destroyed the clubhouse and many of the other structures. It was an industrial part of the city and in the past couple of years some renovation of the area had taken place. As far as he knew a part of the stables were still standing. The fairgrounds were out of the way and mostly inhabited by the homeless and junkies.

Never in a million years would he have thought of looking there. It was perfect for an operation like Teel’s. “Get me any and all information as well as plans of the area and possible blue prints on the buildings.” Gibbs ordered and turned on his heels. He had his phone in his hand, already calling Vance to come back in. He met Rossi, Hotch and Morgan at the door. They were all heading in the same direction. The conference room was set up as a secondary control center as MTAC itself was still an off-limits area to most people. It was time to bring Tony and Abby home.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Old fairgrounds**

Never before in her life did she feel so bone tired than right at that moment. It was as if all of her energy was forcefully drained from her body. Abby knew it was because of the stressful situation she found herself in, but also from the fact that she was suffering from caffeine withdrawal. For the first time in more than a decade, she didn’t have any Caf-Pow in her system. She felt jittery and irritated. More than once she wanted to snap at the women around her and then in the same breath she wanted to burst out crying yet again. She hated the fact that her emotions were all over the place. Abby moved away from the door. She had realized that the room they were kept in were real stalls. Like in horse stalls. They were enlarged, with brand new doors, but if she looked at the walls she could see that the building itself was old, almost ancient. Abby had tried to listen to the noises around them. She could hear traffic noises, but they wer faint. Once or twice she heard the whistle of a train, but other than that, it was dead quiet. Almost as if they were no longer in the city itself.

A man walked past the door, he gave the stall a cursory look and then walked on. He didn’t try to interact with any of the women and neither did they. Abby could hear the keys he held rattling against his side and she shivered. She hated that sound, it was as if she was in prison with no way to escape. Abby huffed. She turned to face the four women. “How many guards are there?”

“I know of five.” Sonya replied. “Why?”

“Because we need to get out of here. I for one am not planning to be kept here forever to be sold to one or other bat crazy old coot who can’t get his willy up, but wants to use me as a sex slave.” Abby flapped her arms in annoyance.

“And don’t you think, we’ve all tried before?” India pushed herself up from where she was seated on the floor. “I’ve seen what happened to a girl who tried to escape. She was brought back and tortured.” India hissed and crossed her arms over her chest. “He threw her back in here and I sat with her until he came back. She knew she was going to die. I made her a promise. A promise I know I will not be able to keep. But, if I can, I will do it. I will go and tell her family that she loves them. That she never gave up.” India wiped angrily at a stray tear. “She was in the navy. She was trained for battle, she was strong and he broke her apart. And then he came back and he shot her. He executed her right in front of us all. He didn’t even look back when her body fell to the floor.”

“Alice Cooper,” Abby wiped away her own tears. She looked at the shocked faces around her. “My name is Abby Sciuto, I’m the forensic specialist at NCIS, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. We are investigating the disappearance and killing of Seaman Alice Cooper and all the other missing women. And that includes all of you.”

“And how are you going to find us if you’re stuck here with us?”

Abby smiled. “Because my Silver Fox is the best and he will find us. All of us. I’m not useless. I’ll get a way out of this place.”

Cara laughed, but there was nothing humorous in her laugh. “Nothing can stop these bastards. What do you think happened to the guy who tried to protect you when you were brought in? Do you for one moment think he’s still alive?”

Abby lowered her head. She’d forgotten that they told her about the guy who tried to stop her from getting groped. “Do you know who he is? Have you seen him here before?”

Nelda, who was the quiet one spoke up. “He was driving the car from where you were lifted out of the trunk. That’s why we all thought he was in on it. That was until we realized that he was here because he meant something to Teel. That bastard referred to him as Slut puppy and you were used as bait to get him here.”

Abby frowned. She had no idea who the person could be. It had to be someone she and Ziva knew. “Kyle,” she whispered the name. She started trembling. “Black hair, tattooed, skinny with several piercings?”

“No,” Nelda shook her head. “We didn’t get a good look at him, but he had blond hair, tall, well built.” A small smile appeared on his face. “He’d managed to tackle that bastard full on. I saw him break that bastard’s nose before he was hit over the head and then severely kicked. In the end they dragged him away, he was still breathing, but unconscious the last time we saw him.”

Abby went still. She knew exactly who was responsible for trying to keep her out of harm’s way, even if the blond hair didn’t make sense. The one person she treated terribly. “Tony,” she whispered the words. She had no idea why this band of human traffickers would have any connection with Tony. According to her, he was the reason why the FBI was brought into this case, taking away the matter from Gibbs. He felt that Gibbs and the rest of the team didn’t have the skills to deal with this case. She felt he was a traitor, another reason why she hated him. He was the reason Gibbs was angry with her. He was the one who got Ziva kicked from the team. But then, Ziva was the one who betrayed her – the team, and not Tony. Could she have been mistaken? Was there something more going on? She’d heard the scuttlebutt around the office that he wasn’t who he said he was and that he might know more about the trafficking ring than what he admitted to, but she ignored that information, to her it was Tony looking for more attention to feed his narcissistic tendencies. Nothing else.

“So, you do know him?” Sonya inquired.

Abby nodded silently. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words refused to form. She’d been a total fool, worse than that, she was a bad friend. What had she done? She lowered her head. “He’s the best agent I’ve ever met. He’s resilient and will never give up without a fight. He’s like my brother.” Her own words brought her to tears. She didn’t deserve Tony’s friendship, not after what she’d done. Abby made a silent vow, that when they got out of this mess she would do anything in her power to win Tony’s friendship back and she would make sure that Tony realized how sorry she was for her hurtful actions towards him. But, first, she needed to get out of there.

Abby took a deep breath and calmed herself. Tears would not get her or any of the other women out of this place. “Except for the guards, are there any cameras here?”

The women looked at one another and shook their heads. “I haven’t seen any, but it’s not as if we have the ability to walk around freely to have a closer look.” India spoke up.

Abby nodded at the information. She made her way back to the door and looked outside. She was grateful for the fact that she still had on her high platform boots, it made it so much easier to see through the bars of their tiny cell. She looked around, but couldn’t spot any cameras. “It seems like it’s clear.” She talked more to herself than to the other woman in the cell with her. Abby stepped back and sat down on the ground. It was time to see if they could get out of this hell hole. She started to untie her boot and then indicated to Sonya to help. “I need this off,” Abby held her leg up.

“Why?” Sonya asked perplexed even as she stepped closer to help with pulling of the boot.

“Rule 9,” Abby responded with a smile. “Never go anywhere without a knife.”

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Tony had no idea how much time passed since he lost consciousness and waking up again. Teel was no longer in the room with him, but the three guys from before were there. He’d started to fight the moment one of them pulled the syringe out. It took all three of them to pin him down for the drugs to be injected into his system. Now it felt to Tony as if something was alive under his skin. They crawled deep within him. They used his muscles as slides and glided down his body. The million little creatures made his skin ripple and he could hear the buzzing in his ears as they ran around within him. Tony was lying on his front, with his ankles tied together. His lower legs were bent at the knees and tied off around his waist. His arms were bent backwards, elbows straight out and tied with another piece of rope to his feet. He was precariously balanced on his chest and he had no way of moving, not even to rub against the floor in an attempt to get the itch he felt under control. Another groan threatened to escape and he held his breath. He would not make a noise. He found out that the moment he made any kind of noise, the creatures under his skin went berserk.

Weaving in and out of reality, Tony no longer had any idea where he was, or how he even ended up being there. Nothing that he saw made any sense. He couldn’t understand why the hell everything was lime green, even the sheep that grazed around him were lime green in color. They smelled like apples, and for every five steps they took they laid a shiny golden egg. One of those eggs landed right next to him and it made him scream as it touched his skin and burned him. He gagged at the smell of burned flesh.

Tony shivered and blinked rapidly. There was no grazing sheep around him, no golden eggs. He was hallucinating and it was becoming more difficult to differentiate between what was real and what was not. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind, but the buzzing increased and for a moment he thought the creatures inside of him were real. He wanted to scream, but the ring gag made it impossible for him to do anything else except to drool extensively. His world lurched as he was picked up and dumped unceremoniously on a softer surface. Something touched him and he tried to squirm away, but a fist to the side of his face got him to settle down.

He was released from his bindings and pulled upright so that he found himself in a kneeling position. A pair of dark trousers appeared in front of him and he frowned. He had no idea how the pants managed to walk on their own. The pants started talking and he frowned. A hand gripped his hair and his head got pulled back. A face without eyes and three mouths stared at him. The mouth in the middle spoke, but the words were all scrambled up. Tony tried to explain that he didn’t understand, but with the ring gag he could not form words and it didn’t look like the face wanted to listen. Instead, something was pushed into his mouth, it was thick, hot, squishy but hard. It tasted like grilled socks and he tried to use his tongue to push it back out, but the face grew arms which held his head and the thing in his mouth moved in and out. It pushed against the back of his throat, robbing him of his oxygen and he convulsed. A punch connected to the side of his head and the thing slid down his throat. It grew in size as it went deeper. It filled his mouth, his throat and it felt as if it wormed its way right into his stomach. The thing twisted as it pulled back and a foul-tasting substance squirted from the tip. Tony didn’t want to swallow, but the thing pushed back down his throat and it left him with no other option. Finally, the thing retreated and it left him gasping for air. Unfortunately, the respite didn’t last long before the second thing forced itself into his mouth and down his throat.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Abby turned her head away as one of the guards reached to touch her hair. She couldn’t believe that when she nearly had the first hinge of the door loose, the guards showed up and started gathering all of the women. She had to work fast to conceal the knife in the false bottom of her boot again before the guards reach their stall and ordered them out. Her cheek throbbed where the one back handed her as she apparently walked too slowly. She received another slap when she inquired where they were being taken. After the second hit, she was pulled from the group by two of the large men and almost dragged away. She’d tried to kick and pull away, but they were at least two times her own size and pure muscle. She’d met Sonya’s eyes as she was led away and the woman mouthed to her to settle down. She didn’t want to. They had no right to treat her in this fashion. They had no right to treat any of the women like garbage.

Now, they stood on what looked like a raised platform, all facing forward. Their guards walked up and down, handing out snide remarks, groping the woman, hitting them when they would try and move away from the unwanted touches. Abby groaned as the man grabbed her by the hair and pulled it backwards, making her arch her neck. She shivered as he leaned in and sniffed at her exposed throat before licking her from her collarbone to her chin. Tears threatened to spill over and she swallowed hard. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

A trembling hand grabbed hers and without looking Abby knew it was India who stood next to her. She knew she had to be quiet, to let it be, but she couldn’t, it wasn’t who she was. Abby squeezed the hand and then looked the guard in the eyes. “I’ve always wanted to be licked by a lizard, and now I know how it feels.” She snorted and even managed to roll her eyes. A fist connected with her cheekbone, the skin split open and she staggered back, nearly landing on her behind, but Abby managed to keep to her feet. Tears flooded her eyes and she wiped them away angrily. Now was not the time to give in to her emotions. Before the guard could come closer a man spoke up, his cold voice sent shivers down Abby’s spine. She turned towards the voice and her knees buckled at the sight.

Tony was on his knees, next to the man that spoke. He was stark naked. His body was covered in what looked like blood and other substances. Abby could see several bruises, some of them looked painful. His hands were cuffed behind him, some sort of gag filled his mouth, with his head bowed down. What shock her the most, was to see how hard Tony was. He was moving his hips back and forth in an attempt to get some friction. It made her blush as the first word she could think of was _slut_. Then the man spoke up, he was clearly agitated as he grabbed Tony’s hair and pulled his head back. She jumped as the man screamed out in rage.

“Stop fucking ignoring me, slut! You’re mine, mine, and you’ll do what I tell you to do! Lift your fucking head and look, look!” He shook Tony hard and twisted his head so that he looked right at Abby.

Abby could see the moment Tony recognized her. It was as if all the fight he had in him evaporated into nothingness. His whole body sagged forward and the man with him smiled. “What? No longer interested in fighting me, slut? Finally realized that I’m your Master, like I told you all those years ago?” The man laughed. Abby tried to remember his name. Sonya told her she’d overheard one of the guards referring to their boss as Teel. She looked on as Tony shifted on his knees and then lowered his head so that it touched the floor. He stayed in that position. The man laughed again.

“What, slut? What do you want to say? You want to beg? You want to tell me how good a Master I am?” He walked around Tony, his attention fixed on Abby. “I’m in a good mood, so let’s hear what you want to say.” He leaned in and undid the clasp at the back of Tony’s head. “Speak, beg.”

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

The drugs in his system had finally ebbed away, and Tony was more aware of what was going on around him. He still had a raging hard on and wanted nothing more than to be given the opportunity to rub one out, but knew he would never be given permission. He swallowed hard, but winced as his throat throbbed from the abuse it went through earlier. Although things were hazy, he had a good idea of what had happened while he was nearly drugged out of his mind. He had no choice but to walk behind Teel, the leash around his neck made it impossible to be more than two steps behind the cruel man. When they entered the large room, he nearly tripped over his feet. He saw the different cameras and the woman on the raised platform and knew they were going to be sold off. If that happened, they would disappear into nothingness. Tony was forced to heel when Teel halted. The man said something, but he ignored it. He’d gotten fairly good at ignoring Teel. It was a thing he did in the past, and he was going to do it again. Teel got furious, as suspected, but Tony got his own surprise when he finally looked to what Teel showed him. _‘Abby’_. The sight of her shocked him. He’d forgotten about her. He didn’t mean to, but the drugs were messing him up so badly. She wasn’t supposed to be here. She wasn’t supposed to be up on that platform, not with all those lights and cameras. Teel meant to have her sold. Sold as a mere object. It couldn’t be allowed.

Without giving it a second thought, he lowered himself to the floor. It was one position he never wanted to find himself in, but he had no choice. He had to get her out of here. It didn’t matter what she did to him, no one deserved what would happen to them. Tony wished he was able to beg on behalf of all of them, but he knew that would never be possible, but maybe, maybe, he’d be able to save one. To save Abby and give her back to Gibbs and the rest of the NCIS family.

“Please, Master, please. Let her go, she doesn’t belong here. I’ll do anything you want from me. I will be your Slut Puppy, Master, I will worship you in any way possible. Please, let her go. Please. She doesn’t know anything, she can be blindfolded and dropped somewhere. I know her, she will not talk.” Tony shuffled forward, until he reached Teel’s feet and then started to lick at the boots, cleaning them from the tip of the toes, all the way up. He moved his head and placed his mouth on the erection beneath the trousers. He nuzzled Teel with his mouth, and sucked the cock that lay hidden beneath the material.

Tony could feel Teel shudder beneath his touches, and he increased the suction he had going on the man. Teel went from semi hard to rock hard in mere seconds. He managed to unzip Teel’s trousers and with his mouth alone, he freed Teel’s cock and took it in his mouth. He angled his head and the cock slid down his throat and he swallowed, making Teel shudder. A hand gripped him at the back of the head and he was forced to take the cock deeper into his mouth. He was forced to relax his throat muscles as Teel jammed his cock down his throat. Tony was glad that his hands were cuffed at his back as Teel pushed his cock down his throat, robbing him of his oxygen and then kept it there. Time came to a standstill. Black spots formed in front of his eyes and he struggled weakly. His eyes rolled over in his head and faintly he heard Teel give an order for the girl to be taken away. For Tony, that was enough and he gave in, letting the darkness swallow him whole.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Old fairgrounds**

They rolled in silently. After McGee and Morgan counted all of the heat signatures illuminated with the aid of satellite images, the rescue team had to be increased. Two SWAT teams accompanied Leon and himself along with Hotch and his team. Gibbs was surprised when Leon indicated that he was coming along. For him to get into the action was a good indication how much Vance thought DiNozzo was worth.

Gibbs checked his weapon and his backup as they exited the different vehicles. He placed the small coms in his ear and waited for everyone to get ready before he gave the order. Since McGee was on suspension he stayed behind, and although he couldn’t be their official eyes using the satellite images to their advantage, he was in MTAC, with Garcia from the BAU and Gibbs knew they would make sure that the technicians provided the correct information. Gibbs made contact and listened as the information came through. They took down three hostiles without a single shot being fired and moved in deeper onto the terrain.

Several vehicles, including some eighteen-wheelers were parked to the side. Gibbs indicated for some of the agents to check them out as they moved towards the building. What felt like a lifetime, but was only a few minutes saw them reaching the building where the heat signatures were identified. The SWAT teams readied themselves and Gibbs gave the order. Chaos erupted as the guards placed on sentinel duty became aware of their presence the moment they entered the door. The armed guards didn’t even hesitate - they all started firing. Gunshots echoed through the closed space and Gibbs ducked for cover as they tried to take the hostiles down. An open doorway to his left made him move in that direction the moment the gunfire lessened.

Gibbs found himself in a large room, it had the feel of an old office. Several filing cabinets stood around, some even on the ground. The air smelt stuffy, with a coppery hint of blood. Gibbs slowly moved deeper into the room. He had his pistol at a ready and a small flashlight in his hand. He checked out the room and moved in closer when the light of his flashlight landed on an unmoving object. Gibbs squinted, it looked like a body and he moved closer.

What he found took his breath away and he lowered his weapon. “Ziva,” Gibbs whispered and knelt down. Even with the damage he could see, he felt for a pulse. The body was still and cold, rigor mortis already set in. “Be at peace,” his voice was still soft as he uttered the words in Hebrew and got to his feet. He would make sure Ziva’s body was retrieved and sent back to Israel. He had no idea why she changed, but she was still a human and deserved to be treated like one.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Spencer made his way through several rooms, so far all of them had been empty. Most looked like sleeping quarters. He presumed the guards used them when they were not on duty. In the background, he could hear people shouting, women screaming and shots fired. For a moment, he worried about the safety of his team, but the com in his ear remained silent, an indication that they were all still well, each one doing their own job. Spencer came to a halt when a noise reached his ears. He stood still and listened intently. It sounded as if someone was crying and it came from one of the rooms in front of him. Knowing that he couldn’t rush forward, he continued on. He cleared all the other rooms, leaving the one he could hear the sounds from for last. He could clearly hear the sobbing from inside.

Spencer readied his weapon and placed his hand on the door handle. “FBI, move away from the door, hands in the air.” He ordered as he pushed the handle down. It was locked. Spencer frowned. It was the first one locked. The sobbing from the inside continued, it was as if the person inside didn’t even hear when he called out. He knocked on the door. “FBI, can you hear me?” He waited for an answer. The sobbing stopped. Spencer called out again.

“I’m shackled to a bed.” A nasal sounding voice, belonging to a woman sounded through the closed door. “They locked the door when they left.” She hiccupped and sniffed loudly.

Spencer looked at the door. It was a normal door, he’d be able to kick the door down himself. Derek spent hours with him training that skill. “What’s your name?”

The sniffing stopped. “How do I know you’re FBI?” The counter question came quickly.

Spencer heard her gasp as another volley of gunshots sounded through the building. “I’m FBI agent Spencer Reid. I’m from the Behavioral Analysis Unit.” The woman moved, he could hear the shackles as she did.

“Doctor Spencer Reid?”

Spencer nodded his head. “Yes, that’s me. Are you willing to tell me your name?” He had a feeling he knew who it was and felt relieved that at least one of the people they were looking for was still alive.

“Abigail Sciuto.”

“You’re the forensic scientist at NCIS.” Spencer supplied the information. He wanted her to know he knew who she was. Hopefully it would put her at ease.

“Have you found Tony?”

Spencer heard the angst and worry in her voice. “We’re still looking for him, but we will find him.” He knew Derek and Agent Gibbs would not leave this place without the missing man. He stepped back and holstered his gun. “I’m going to kick the door down. How far away are you from it?”

“I’m on the other end of the room, it’s clear.” Abby’s voice sounded steadier.

Spencer took a step back and used the technique Derek showed him and slammed his booted foot into the door. All of his power went into the assault. The door stayed steady and Spencer repeated the action. On the third try the lock gave way and on the fourth attempt, it broke and swung inwards. Spencer’s kick was hard enough so that the door slammed against the wall. He had to use his hand to stop it as it swung close again. A single light bulb illuminated the room. He found her on the bed, she was crying softly. He made his way over to her after he made sure that the rest of the room was empty.

“It’s going to be all right.” He tried to calm her as he sat down next to her. He was surprised when she flung herself at him and held him tight. She sobbed in earnest. After a brief hesitation, Spencer placed his arm across her shoulder and kept it there. He was supposed to check in with the team, to inform them what he found, but he wanted to give her a moment to compose herself before he did that. From what he could see it looked like she’d been assaulted. Her body and face was bruised, and he had a feeling that she was going to be in agony once the adrenaline in her body faded away.

“Tony,” Abby hiccupped again. “You must find Tony.” She finally released her hold over the man and sat back. “Please,” she tried to get up, but stumbled as the chains that held her to the bed made her trip.

“Easy,” Spencer guided her back to the bed. He kneeled down and had a look at the lock. He wouldn’t be able to get it open. Picking locks were never his strong point. Hopefully, SWAT would be able to assist. “We are looking for him and we will find him, I promise.” Spencer made her lean back against the wall. “Let me get SWAT here so that they can get you out of those things.”

Abby nodded. “Is Gibbs here?” Her voice sounded small.

“Agent Gibbs is here, and your Director as well.” Spencer replied.

Abby looked down at her hands. “I’m a terrible person.”

“I don’t know you well, Miss Sciuto, but I don’t think you’re terrible.”

Abby shook her head. “You don’t understand. I did some bad things.” She lowered her head. “I treated someone that loved me like a sister, like he was scum. Once upon a time he was my best friend. I didn’t give a damn that he never did anything to hurt me, I had to get in another jab, something to take him down another peg. All because of me being selfish. I hurt him so much and now, now he might be dead and I, I…” Abby broke down again.

“I assume you’re talking about Agent DiNozzo?” At her nodding, Spencer continued. “The good thing about family and friends is that they are always willing to listen, to talk and to forgive. I have a feeling you’d be able to heal your friendship with him again. It might take some time, but I think you know it would be worth the while.” He pressed the com against his ear and spoke into the small mike. He reported who he had found and requested assistance. He leaned back against the wall himself. “SWAT is on the way.”

“Thank you,” Abby closed her eyes and waited.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Derek knew the moment the first shot rang out they would have chaos. And chaos they found. They made their way into the building until they reached a large open room that resembled an arena. Several women were lying on what looked like a raised stage while shots rang out around them. He could only hope that none of them would be hit as the fire fight continued between the bad guys and the rest of them. He raised his own weapon and took the shot. The perp stumbled back one step and then landed on the hard ground. He would never get up again. A spray of gun fire hit the three large screens that were set up to the side. It seemed like they made it in time before the women had been sold off in an auction.

Derek looked around, he saw no sign of AD and couldn’t spot Teel either. For a moment, he wondered if they were too late - if Teel had taken AD and gotten away. But, it couldn’t be. From the moment they left MTAC, to the time they stopped here, they were in contact with the technicians and would’ve been informed if any vehicle left the place. He pushed the thought down that suggested that AD might not even have been here at all. AD was here, and he was here. Movement to his left side made him swirl around. He only had enough time to take note of the automatic rifle pointed at him, before he squeezed his own weapon’s trigger repeatedly. The gunman fell down and Derek moved forward. He removed the rifle, secured it and placed it over his shoulder. He could hear the gunshots dying down at his back, as he moved away from the area. He had to find AD.

A door in front of him, took him into a long, narrow passage that was dimly lit. He slowed his pace, and moved forward with caution. Derek tried to listen for any possible noise that could give him an indication of life, but it was quiet around him. He made his way down the passage. At the end, it split. The left passage was dark, but the right was once again dimly lit. Without hesitating, Derek turned right. He pulled the com from his ear; the chatter made it difficult to concentrate and to focus on where he was going. A shadow danced across the wall, but the figure moved away from him and Derek followed quickly. He managed to gain ground and took the guard by surprise. He used a stranglehold on him and choked the man until his knees buckled and he went limp. Derek lowered him to the floor, took out his cuffs and cuffed the man’s hands behind his back. He used a set of black ties to secure the man’s feet and to make it even more difficult should he come too and decide to hop off, he lifted the man’s feet and hogged tied him with another pair of ties to his hands. Derek looked for a secure place to hide the man’s weapon, as well as the first rifle he took away. He saw a crate to the side and after checking it out, he hid both the weapons behind the crate. Making sure that the man was still out, Derek moved away and headed down the hall. It started to get lighter and the hallway itself became larger.

The much larger passage split again, and Derek kept going right. He wished he knew where he was going to, but felt like the time to get to AD was running out. It was as if something was spurring him on to get to the missing agent and to get there fast. A door appeared to his left, and as he reached for the handle, a scream of pure terror sounded from inside. Derek used his shoulder and the door splintered beneath his arm. The forced entry was enough to startle the man and Derek took the shot. The man stumbled backwards and Derek moved into the room.

“AD!” Derek sprinted forward. His friend was kneeling in the middle of the floor. A large knife protruded from his left shoulder and Derek knew that was the reason for the scream he heard seconds before. He holstered his weapon and kneeled in front of the other man. He was worried, except for the scream, AD didn’t even react to the gunshot, nor did he give any indication that he knew what was going on around him. Derek took AD’s hand face in his hands. “AD?” Derek asked in concern. His friend’s skin was clammy to the touch, but hot at the same time. He could see how fast AD was breathing, but the breaths he took were shallow. His pupils were the size of pinpricks and unfocused and he looked confused.

“AD, Tony,” Derek tried again. “Come on man, look at me, look at me, AD.” Derek pleaded. He tapped his friend lightly on the cheek, but it was as if the other man had no idea that he was there. “I need to take a look at this,” Derek’s hands travelled down to the injured shoulder. He was surprised that AD hadn’t tried to pull the blade free. The knife had a serrated edge, and Derek was grateful that AD indeed didn’t try to pull it out. He had to get something to keep the blade secure, and at the same time stem the bleeding, he didn’t dare to remove the blade. His eyes caught the marks on AD’s arms. “Fuck,” he could clearly see that they were track marks. The clammy feel to AD’s skin and the tiny pupils now fit in. AD was drugged up and he had no idea with what. “We’ll get you sorted out, I promise, hold on for me.” He managed to get AD to lay on his right side. He got to his feet, he looked back at the man he shot. It was Teel. Derek paid him no further attention as he looked for something to stop the bleeding. He spotted what looked like a sheet bundled up in a corner and he grabbed it. It wasn’t clean, but at this stage a mere infection would be the least of AD’s problems. Derek made his way back to his friend. “Okay, let’s get this thing a bit more stable and get this blood flow down.” Derek managed to lift AD so that he was half sitting half lying down. “Let’s get this done.” Derek managed to get hold of his knife and cut a broad strip of the sheet off. He folded it into some sort of a sling and with shaking hands managed to tie it around AD’s shoulder. The whole time he kept on talking to his friend, making sure AD knew each step of the way what he was doing. Derek tried not to jolt AD’s shoulder too much, but once or twice his grip slipped due to the blood and although AD gave no indication of feeling anything, he knew it had to hurt.

“Done,” Derek cupped AD’s face. “Let’s get you out of here.” He reached for his com to let the rest of the team know that he had found AD and that they needed to send the paramedics. Something tugged at his side and he looked down. “What the fuck?” He asked as AD had managed to pull his weapon free of the holster. “Easy there, buddy.” Derek stood still, he wasn’t about to move away, but he also couldn’t let his friend shoot him. “I know you’re confused right now, but I promise you, everything will be all right. Just hand me my weapon, AD. You’re safe, I promise you.” He hated the fact that AD hadn’t made any eye contact with him, it was as if he was staring out into nothingness. He reached for the weapon, he kept his movements slow, and his body low, but before he could reach the weapon, the shot rang out.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

He became aware of sounds and smells around him. He could smell sweat, sex and blood, mostly blood. He was aware of the fact that someone was with him. The voice sounded familiar, it made him feel safe, but his eyes refused to focus, everything stayed blurry and his mind refused to make sense of what was going on around him.

The voice continued to talk to him, to tell him that he was safe, to tell him that everything would be fine. The voice moved away, and he wanted to object, but then the voice returned and he could feel his body being moved. He must’ve blinked because he could see clearer now. He still had no idea where he was, but the man in front of him looked familiar, but he still couldn’t remember his name. A name popped into his mind, but something told him it wasn’t the right name. This man didn’t look like a Gibbs, not that he had any idea how a Gibbs was supposed to look. Movement at the man’s back caught his attention. He wanted to whimper, to tell the man to look out, to get away, there was danger, but his voice refused to work. His hand pressed against something, something familiar. He pulled it free.

The weight felt familiar, but yet unfamiliar at the same time, but he couldn’t think about that now. The man in front of him, the not Gibbs, was talking to him. He looked frantic, but the words were all scrambled up and he couldn’t get his own words to work, so he could do the only thing he knew would work. He curled his finger around the trigger and squeezed it down. The noise hurt his ears and he dropped the thing that was familiar. It landed hard on the floor. The nightmare behind the man who made him feel safe fell as well. At the same time, the world around him tilted on its axis and he found himself closing his eyes. It was then that the man’s name popped into his head. _‘Derek.’_

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Bethesda Hospital – 6 hours later**

Morgan found himself in the same chair as the first time when they brought Tony in after his collapse at NCIS. This time he wasn’t alone. His whole team was there, except Spencer, but they were joined by Jimmy. McGee phoned JJ every hour to hear about any news. Gibbs and Ducky were not present. They were in conference with Doctor Pitt. He couldn’t help but to smile when the doctor was introduced to them and Garcia took them all by surprise and made sure the doctor knew how special Tony was to all of them and that he had to make sure that Tony got the best care possible. The fact that Doctor Pitt took it all in stride made him realize he was used to this kind of thing. He wondered who threatened the doctor before. His money was on Jimmy.

Derek made the mistake and looked down at his hands, he’d washed them about five times now, and still they had a red tint to them. AD’s blood. Morgan closed his eyes. He still couldn’t believe that Tony had killed Teel. He’d made a rookie mistake not to make sure that the threat was indeed eliminated, instead he checked Tony out and Teel used the time to either play possum or regain consciousness. He’d ignored the man as he tried to stop his friend from bleeding out. He was amazed at the fact that although Tony was almost completely out of it, he’d not only managed to get to Derek’s firearm, but also managed to get off a clean head shot that took Teel out of the picture forever. But, in that moment, he didn’t realize it. Only when he heard the _thud_ behind him did he realize what happened. Teel was on the floor behind him. His pistol in his hand. It was only then that he saw there was no blood on Teel’s shirt where he shot him. There were two holes in the shirt, but no blood. Teel had worn a Kevlar vest and both of them could’ve died if it wasn’t for Tony. Derek shook his head. He couldn’t let his thoughts go there now. Not if he wanted to get through everything.

He turned to the man next to him. “Did you threaten Doctor Pitt?” He knew the young ME assistant would know what he was talking about.

Jimmy smiled. “I did.” He nodded, “and I would do it again, but Garcia was a bit faster than I thought.”

Derek laughed. “Yes, looks can be deceiving.” He stretched his legs. “Did it work?” A shake of the head gave him the answer.

“Gibbs got to him first, so by the time I got to threaten him, it was too late.” Jimmy looked up when someone entered the room and he got to his feet. “Doctor Reid, Spencer?” He sounded nervous.

Derek looked on as his best friend gently placed an arm across the younger man’s shoulder and gave him an awkward hug. It didn’t seem to bother either man.

Spencer looked at the group gathered in the waiting room. “Miss Sciuto will make a full recovery. She’s dehydrated, suffers from a slight concussion and will have a sore body for the next few days with all the bruises she’d sustained, but other than that, she will be all right.”

Derek saw how Jimmy’s shoulders sagged in relief. It was difficult for the young man. Tony was his friend, but so was Abby, and her actions made it hard for him to forgive her, although he still cared a lot. “Is she awake?” Derek asked. He knew they still needed to take down her statement. Hotch had indicated that depending on what she told them, she might face some criminal charges herself.

Spencer shook his head. “The medical staff gave her something to help her rest. Her doctor indicated that they will keep her for observation for at least the next twenty-four hours.”

Jimmy looked at Spencer and then at Derek. “Do you think it will be all right if I go and sit with her for a few minutes? I promise I won’t wake her up.”

Derek and Spencer both nodded. Derek knew Jimmy had to make sure that his friend was all right. “Go, I will text you the moment we hear something about AD.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Spencer smiled and waited patiently for Jimmy to grab his bag before the two of them left the waiting room together.

“Well, well. Looks like our Boy genius is interested in Jimmy Palmer.” Garcia got to her feet. “I need to find out everything about him. He seems nice, and I know he works for one of our sister agencies, but one can never be too careful.” Garcia tried to scramble pass Derek on her high heels, but he caught her arm and pulled her down to sit down next to him. “Relax, Mama, our Pretty boy will be all right.”

Garcia bit down on her bottom lip. “You sure, Handsome?”

“He’s sure,” JJ spoke up from the other side. “We both ran a search on him already. He’s a good person, Penelope. If things progress they will be good for one another.”

Garcia frowned and then smiled. “Good, that’s good.” She leaned against Derek’s shoulder. “Now we can concentrate on Tony and getting him better.” She grabbed Derek’s hand and squeezed it hard. “He will be all right, Derek. I know he will.”

Derek had no words, but squeezed her hand back hard and hoped that her words carried the truth.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Bethesda Hospital: Private room – 18 hours later**

Gibbs placed the wet cloth back on Tony’s forehead and stroke his hair softly. He looked up when the door opened and smiled tiredly at the mug of coffee offered to him. “Thank you.” He took his seat and waited for Morgan to take his seat as well.

“You still wallowing in self-pity?”

“He could’ve died, Gibbs, because of me.”

Gibbs snorted. “You’re both alive because of him. That’s more important.” He took a sip. “You made a rookie mistake and I can promise, you won’t do it again. Now, we both know why they don’t let married couples, or life partners work together. It’s too dangerous. But, berating yourself over it, is not going to change anything, Morgan. Don’t let it eat you up. You’re going to start doubting yourself, and in our line of work, that’s not an option. Put it behind you, concentrate on the future.”

Derek sighed, but didn’t utter a word. Both Dave and Aaron had told him almost the same thing, but it still happened. It was hard to forget. He looked up at Tony’s prone figure and looked at the monitor next to his head. “His fever is holding steady.”

Gibbs nodded. “He’s still not responding to the fever reducer like he’s supposed to, but at least it’s no longer climbing.” Tony’s fever had risen to a 104.8 and it threatened to go up even higher, but now it was sitting at a 103.5 for the past two hours. They’d been placing a cool cloth on his forehead and wiped his chest, arms and hands to give him a bit of relief.

“What about the drugs?” He had to go into the office to file his paperwork and missed the last check in with Doctor Pitt.

“Last tox screen came back relatively clean. Seems like the opioids will take a bit longer to clear, but Brad is not too worried about that. He will have to undergo various screens over the coming months from the agency to make sure he’s clean, but there should be no lasting effects.”

“Derek nodded. “When we found him the first time, he was a complete drug addict. Not that he wanted to, but it was one way in which that monster controlled him. AD went cold turkey. He was only sixteen years old, but for the first time in two years he had a say in what happened to his body. He was so sick, Gibbs. For a day or two, I was afraid that he wouldn’t make it, but he did. He pulled through. Unfortunately, he was still in severe pain from everything else that happened to him, but he refused to take anything. He was so scared that he would get hooked on something. It took me at least two and a half days before I finally convinced him to take either Advil or Tylenol. It was the strongest he would take.”

Gibbs nodded in return. “It’s going to be difficult, for both of you. For all of us. He’s going to withdraw from you, Morgan.” He looked up at the younger man. “I don’t know if he’s going to bounce back this time around.” He stood up to pace the small room. “Being a sex slave for two years and then becoming one of the best agents in the business is no small feat. But now? Being violated in such a way – again?” Gibbs closed his eyes, but then squared his shoulders. “I won’t give up on him.”

Morgan got to his feet as well. “Not one of us is going to give up on him. You’ve met my team, Gibbs, they’ve adopted AD already and they will do anything in their power to help him.” Derek picked up the cloth and rinsed it out. He gave Tony another wipe down and smiled when his friend slightly leaned into his touch. “He’s also going to blame himself for David’s death and Miss Sciuto’s injuries.”

Gibbs walked around to stand at the window. “Yes, and it’s not going to help to tell him it’s not his fault, he will still feel he’s to blame. But, it also means I’m going to keep on saying it.” A small smile appeared on Gibbs’ face. “I swear he’s going to make me use up my whole allotted word count for the year.”

Derek grinned. “I think you’ve surpassed that already, Gibbs.” He got serious again. “At least this time there won’t be a trial.”

“Except that I wish there were one. It would’ve meant he had to talk about what happened. Now, he’s going to act as if everything is _fine_.”

Derek pinched his lips together. “I’ll get him to talk.”

Gibbs turned away from the window. “How? You know how bullheaded he can be.”

Derek looked down at his sleeping friend. “AD and I had a lot of time on our hands. He told us everything he knew about the traffic ring. He told the DA everything that happened to him, but he told it in such a way that it might’ve happened to someone else, instead of himself. The DA didn’t care, they had what they needed, but I did care. He wasn’t coping. I could see he was barreling towards a head on collision with himself and it wasn’t going to be pretty. After he got released from hospital and we ended up in the first safe house, the first of many, by the way. I managed to get him to open up, but I pushed too hard and he shut down. Thereafter, I tried everything I could think of, but nothing worked. So, I told him about myself.” Derek looked up. “I was abused as a child by someone I thought was my friend. The man became my mentor after my father died in the line of duty. I didn’t say a word about the abuse, not to anyone. I told AD about it and although I didn’t go through the horrors he went through, he finally realized that he wasn’t alone and he opened up. He started talking, emotions flew from him, but he finally told me everything. After that he tried to distance himself from me, he felt ashamed, but I made sure to stick close and in the end, it worked. He healed and I healed. This time he knows my story, but he’s got new horrors to tell, and I’m not going to let him forget that I stood by him the first time and I’m not going to let go the second time.”

“I’m also not letting go.” Gibbs replied with conviction. He changed the cool cloth again and both men settled down to keep vigil over a friend and a surrogate son until Tony was in again a position to stand on his own two feet.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Tony opened his eyes and squinted, the light was brighter than he thought it would be and he frowned. He looked around, nothing looked familiar. The pinch in the crook of his arm made him aware of the IV line he was hooked to. The beeping in his ears was enough to seal the deal. He was in hospital, but he had no idea on how he ended up in there.

He closed his eyes again, he had to figure out what had happened. The last thing he remembered was being with Teel. His breath hitched as he thought about the man and his eyes snapped open. He had no idea who brought him in. He didn’t know where Teel was. Was he safe? Should he try to escape? His breathing sped up, the monitor at his head started wining out a warning, but he didn’t even hear it. Something heavy settled over his chest and he placed his hand over it as if to push it away, but there was nothing. Tony became aware of his own breathing, it sounded hard and forced. His eyes stung and the room started to spin. The door to his right opened, someone stepped in and he needed to get away, but he was trapped and he panicked.

The figure moved closer and he was pressed down onto the bed. He struggled harder and managed to punch the figure in the face and it stumbled away. Ignoring the tightening of his chest, and the fact that it felt as if he was breathing under water, Tony ripped the IV from his arm and made his way to the door. He had to blink a few times, it seemed like the door kept on moving, but finally he made it and stumbled out. Figures came at him out of different directions, none of them looked familiar. The noises they emanated made his ears hurt, he placed his hand over his ears to stifle the noise and lost his footing. The floor rushed up and he pushed his hands out to stop his descent. Tony landed awkwardly, managed to get to his feet, but one of the figures was right in front of him. It reached out to him, and Tony started to scream. He could hear himself, he didn’t sound human, but he didn’t care. They were touching him, making noises he didn’t understand. He tried to push them away, but they covered his body and pinned him down. He sobbed out of desperation and tried one more time to get away. A sharp pinch in the side of his neck made him turn his head, but things became blurry. He blinked, the figures features became clear. “Wildcat?” He slurred and then darkness claimed him again.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

His head hurt and it was the thumping on the inside of his skull that brought him back to consciousness. He hissed when the light made the headache worse as he opened his eyes.

“Let me get the lights.” Someone spoke up in a soft voice and Tony could hear the person moving around.

“Try again, I’ve switched it off.”

Slowly Tony opened his eyes again. The first thing that came into focus was Derek staring at him. “Hey,” he managed to speak up, although his throat was a bit scratchy.

“Hey, yourself.” Derek smiled. “How are you feeling?”

Tony frowned. “Like I’ve been run over by a truck. You found me.” He looked around. “How long?” The memories of what happened threatened to overpower him and he closed his eyes. He balled his fists. He jerked away as a hand was placed on his. “Sorry.” Tony tried to relax.

Derek removed his hand. “Nothing to be sorry about, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Tony shook his head and cleared his throat.

“Here,” Derek took a plastic cup and held it to Tony’s lips. He smiled as Tony sighed after he took a few sips.

“Thank you,” Tony licked his lips. “What happened? Did you get the women? Abby?” He tried to push himself up from the bed.

Derek pushed him back gently and locked eyes with the man in the bed. “Lean back, you’re not going anywhere. We got all of the women, including Abby. You don’t remember?”

Tony looked at the man seated before him and shook his head. “What did I do, what happened?” It felt as if Derek was keeping something from him.

“You saved my ass.” Derek swallowed hard. “You still need to be debriefed and your statement taken down, so I can’t tell you much, but everyone is safe.”

Tony groaned, his head was killing him. “Fuck,” he pressed his fingers against his temples.

“Easy,” Derek took Tony’s one hand in his. “I’ve pressed the call button; the nurse will be here soon.”

Tony squeezed Derek’s hand and moaned. The thumping became worse and the nausea overpowered him. “Sick,” he managed to mumble, but even before he could turn his head, he violently threw up all over himself and the bed. His body shook in agony.

Derek, pushed the call button again. He couldn’t understand what took the nurse so long. He managed to get Tony to turn to his side to make sure the man didn’t choke on his own sick. He could feel the tremors going through Tony’s body. Just as the man in his arms heaved again, the door opened and the nurse came in. She took one look at the scene and shook her head. Without a word, she headed back out again, but not even a minute later she was back again, a vile and syringe in hand. Derek looked on as she pushed the syringe into the IV line.

“Doctor Pitt was afraid of something like this happening. This will help with the nausea and the pain.” She kept her voice low. “I’ve asked my colleague to page him, let’s get Agent DiNozzo cleaned up in the meantime.”

With practiced efficiency she changed the patient and the bedding and Derek smiled as the man in the bed sighed as he leaned back against the cool clean bedding. He squeezed the hand still clutched in his. “Get some rest.” He used the cloth to wipe the sweaty brow down again. Derek didn’t need to look at the monitor to know Tony’s fever was back up again.

Tony tried to keep his eyes open, but he was fighting a losing battle. There were so many questions that he still needed answers to. He wanted to know about Teel, the rest of the trafficking ring, and about Ziva. He turned his head towards Derek. “Teel?” He managed to get the question.

Derek placed his hand on top of Tony’s head and stroked his hair. “He will never bother you again.” He smiled as Tony’s eyes slid closed and the tired man forced them open again. “Get some rest, you’ve earned it.” He couldn’t help but to lean in and kissed Tony on the forehead. He looked on as Tony’s eyes closed again and this time they remained closed. He sat back in his chair and waited for the doctor and Gibbs to arrive.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Bethesda Medical Offices: 3 weeks later**

Tony stared in front of him. He ignored the man seated across from him. He didn’t want to be here, and he wasn’t going to talk. He couldn’t believe that he had to attend this shit. He scratched at his skin and when he noticed that the head shrink noticed it as well, he stopped immediately and crossed his legs. He remained silent.

“You are aware of the fact, Mr. DiNozzo that you will not be allowed to go back to work if you do not cooperate with me.” The man’s nasal voice sounded through the quiet office.

“It’s _Agent_ DiNozzo, as I told you before and the only thing required of me is to attend five compulsory sessions with a head shrink. That is what I’m doing. I don’t need to cooperate with you in any other way.” He couldn’t stand the doctor. The man kept on looking at him as if he was something that the cat dragged in. He also refused to call Tony by his proper title, going so far as to make sure to call him Mr. DiNozzo at every possible opportunity.

“Mr. DiNozzo, being derogatory towards me, will not do at all. You leave me no other choice but to document this. I will also make the recommendation that you are not mentally fit for duty.” He mumbled something under his breath as he scribbled notes on the file he had with him.

Tony came to his feet. His body shook in anger and he scratched at his arm again. “Make whatever recommendation you want, but I’ve had it with you. I’m leaving.” He grabbed his coat and headed towards the door. The so-called doctor spoke up behind him, but Tony paid him no attention. He made sure to slam the door shut extra hard. He didn’t even acknowledge the receptionist as he stormed out.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Derek looked up and frowned. It’d been more than an hour and a half already, and there was still no sign of the man he was waiting for. He took out his phone, but found no text from the other man to say that he was running late. Derek got out of the truck and made his way over to the building that housed medical offices including the psychologist AD had to see. He knew AD had disliked the man from the moment they met, and he had to agree there was something off about the man, but the doctor was well known in the different alphabet agencies for helping agents and cops alike getting past trauma in their lives, including those who suffered from PTSD, something that Tony was definitely suffering from, even though he denied it.

He opened the door to the practice and looked around. The waiting room was deprived of life. Derek made his way to the receptionist and smiled warmly at her. “Excuse me, is Agent DiNozzo still in?” He indicated to the closed door behind him.

The receptionist shook her head. “I’m sorry, he left more than an hour ago.”

Derek frowned. “Thank you.” He knew asking more questions wouldn’t help. The fact that AD left more than an hour ago without letting him know meant that he wanted to be alone. It didn’t mean that he would stop worrying until he found out where he was. Derek took out his phone.

“Mama,” he greeted is best friend as she answered the phone. “Without asking any questions right now, I want you to please trace AD’s phone for me.” Derek stood with his truck keys in his hand. Derek frowned as she supplied him the information he sought. “You sure?” He held up a hand in apology even though she couldn’t see it. “Sorry Mama, I know you’re sure, I shouldn’t have doubted you.” He ended the call quickly and placed his keys back into his pocket and walked around the building. Few people were aware of the fact that the building had a large park at the back. It was beautifully maintained, but normally empty. He found the man he was looking for seated on one of the many of the benches that decorated the area. Without a word, he sat down next to the man he grew closer to day by day and waited patiently. Finally, AD spoke up.

“He’s a fucking ass,” Tony crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Derek remained quiet. Now was not the time to say anything, he had to listen.

“He kept on calling me Mr., instead of on my title. When I told him to call me Tony, he snuffed at me. Snuffed! Like I insulted him or something. I don’t talk to head shrinks, they always pick away at stuff that has got nothing to do with them. They make you doubt yourself in everything you do or say.” He scratched angrily at his arm, but stilled as a hand curled around his. Tony looked down. “Sorry.”

Derek squeezed his hand and then without letting go pulled the hand to his lap. “We need to clean that up when we get home.” He looked at the bloodied angry red blotches that decorated AD’s skin. It was one of the withdrawal symptoms AD suffered from, and one that was treated with a special ointment since AD refused to take any prescribed drug to fight off the itchiness.

“He’s not signing me off for work,” Tony sounded lost.

Derek pulled AD closer to him. “I have a feeling that you’ve been able to talk around all of the other psychologists you had to see before, but not this time.” He quickly continued when AD became stiff in his arms. “I’m not blaming you, AD. I hate it too - talking to them. And I know you didn’t like this guy and from what you’ve told me, I think that feeling was mutual. You do however know that Director Vance will not let you back on duty without a psychologist’s report. I also know you won’t go back in there, so what if I set you up with someone I know?” When the man next to him remained silent, Derek took it as a sign to press on. “Her name is Doctor Tara Lewis. She’s a forensic psychologist, but more important, she’s an FBI agent. We’ve worked with her before, and she’s good. For one thing, being an FBI agent will make her understand where you come from, and I think that alone will make things easier for you to talk to her.”

Tony remained quiet for a long time, but finally nodded his head. “Is she beautiful?”

Derek snorted. “What? Already tired of me?” He gave his friend a hug and placed a kiss on his temple. Both of them had been staying at Gibbs’ place since AD was discharged. At first, AD slept alone in the guest room, but after the first three nights of constant nightmares, he’d moved himself into the guest room with AD and into the same bed. That first night they slept together, the nightmares still plagued AD’s sleep, but it only happened three times throughout the night. Now, the nightmares were down to one or two a night and if he moved quickly enough and pulled AD to his chest and kept him close, AD would settle down without actually waking up from the persistent bad dreams.

Tony shook his head. “Don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of you, Wildcat.” He moved so that he sat up straight, but leaned back against the other man as Derek pulled him back into his embrace again. “I need to talk to them.” He mumbled the words. He had been putting it off for far too long. There were so many things going through his head. He might be angry with the fucking shrink, but he also knew that he wasn’t fit for duty, not even desk duty. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Derek’s scent made him feel like he belonged. He still couldn’t believe that the other man stayed with him. He wasn’t sure if he would’ve been able to stay with himself. He owed Derek a conversation as well.

Derek hummed. “You’re thinking too loud, AD.” He squeezed his friend’s hand. “I told you I’m not going anywhere and neither is Gibbs. As for the others, if they are your friends, they will understand. If not, I can promise you I won’t hesitate one second to tell them where to get off. You don’t owe them anything, AD, and that’s something you’ve got to remember.” He knew that Abby had tried to get in contact with AD for about a week and a half now, but that Gibbs continued to block her. Tim phoned him nearly on a daily basis, but he seemed to realize that he had to be patient. Both conversations were going to be difficult for the man next to him.

“Will you get in touch with the Doctor?” Tony finally got to his feet and pulled Derek up with him.

I will phone her tonight.” Derek leaned in and kissed the man before him lightly on the mouth. They’d done nothing else but kiss. Both men knew it was going to take a long time before they’d even be able to think about sex and Derek was fine with that. As long as he had AD next to him, he could make things work.

“Thank you.” Tony kissed him back and then rested his head on Derek’s shoulder. He trembled slightly. The aftermath of the drugs in his system still caused him problems, more so than what Brad initially thought. His body always reacted strangely to drugs, this time around it was no different. He hated it, but at least it seemed that both Derek and Gibbs dealt with it in their strides. They dealt with the trembling, itchy body and mood swings as it occurred, never getting irritated with him, giving him the space when it was clear he needed it and always there to help when it was necessary. He owed them both so much.

Derek’s phone rang out and he smiled as he took it out and looked at the screen. “Papa bear is getting anxious.” He showed AD the screen and then answered the call. Already both men started walking back to where Derek’s truck was parked. “We’re on our way, Gibbs. We’ll see you soon.” He took AD’s hand in his when it sneaked up to scratch at his arm again and squeezed it hard. “Let’s go home.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**‘We have come too far, we have sacrificed too much, to disdain the future now’ – John F. Kennedy**

**Gibbs residence: 3 days later**

Tony scratched at his arm. He was nervous and was grateful that both Gibbs and Derek agreed that he could meet with McGee alone. Gibbs dragged Derek to one or other wood store and he had the house to himself for the next few hours.

He jerked at the knock on the front door and had to take a deep breath before he could respond. “It’s open, McGee,” he called out, but didn’t get up from the couch. He looked on as McGee entered the living room. McGee looked nervous. It’d been a while since he last saw him this insecure and Tony knew that he’d already forgiven the younger man for what he’d done. “There’s beer in the kitchen, get yourself one.”

McGee nodded and without even offering a greeting he trotted to the kitchen and came back with two beers. “I brought you one as well.”

Tony took the bottle and placed it on the low coffee table in the middle of the room. He wasn’t going to drink it, but he wasn’t going to tell McGee that fact. “Thanks, McGee.” He indicated to the chair and waited with patience for McGee to sit.

McGee swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.” He blurted out and came to his feet. “It’s my fault. It was petty and I shouldn’t have done it, but saying those words, won’t make it better. You got kidnapped, tortured and abused all because of me. You forgave me and all that I managed to do was to nearly get you killed.”

Tony interrupted him before he could go on. “What happened at your disciplinary hearing?” Gibbs refused to talk to him about it. Said McGee had to tell him.

McGee sat down and lowered his head. “My probationary period was extended by another year. My security clearance got revoked and I’m on the cold case team for the foreseeable future. I’m not allowed to use any computer without direct supervision for the next year. I’m not allowed into the office after hours or to work after hours, without a senior agent being present. There will be a permanent mark on my record and I will not come into consideration for any promotion for the next five years.”

“What was the other option?”

McGee’s head snapped up and he blushed. “I could resign with full benefits, but it was guaranteed that I would never get another job in law enforcement again.”

“And what will happen in three years’ time when you’re fed up and take it out on me or another agent?” Tony knew he was being harsh, but he had to know. He could see his question hit McGee hard.

“I won’t.” McGee got to his feet. “I can’t be so petty to do something like that to you again, Tony. You’re my friend. I need to respect you and I need to have your six, like you always have mine.”

Tony looked at the younger man for a long time and then nodded his head. “Thank you.”

McGee frowned. “For what?”

“For saving my life, McClueless. If it wasn’t for you, myself and Abby…” Tony couldn’t complete his sentence. His hands shook and he curled them into fists.

McGee nodded. “I will not hesitate one second to do it again, Tony.” He took a deep breath. “I know it will be a long time before you’ll call me your friend again, or trust me, but I promise to do anything in my power to earn your trust and friendship again.”

Tony could only nod his head. He looked on as McGee drained the last of his beer. He stayed seated as McGee got to his feet.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Tony.” He pushed his hands into his jeans pockets and turned to exit the house.

“Tim,” Tony called him back. “There’s a game that starts in ten minutes, you want to watch it with me?”

McGee looked dumbstruck but managed to nod and then grin. “Sounds fantastic.” He took his seat again and soon the two men talked about the stats of the game and their favorite players. McGee knew this was only the first step, but he for one wasn’t going to mess it up.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

Gibbs frowned when he parked his truck in the driveway and saw McGee’s vehicle still parked in front of his house. “Didn’t think he’d still be here.”

Derek looked to where Gibbs indicated to. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”

Gibbs grinned. “Right in the beginning before everything went FUBAR, the two of them were good friends. They could stay and visit one another straight through the night. Seeing this, means it’s going good. Or, bad.” He shrugged. “Tony might’ve killed McGee and is waiting for us to get rid of the body.”

Derek shook his head. “Let’s hope for the first one.” He took the bags from the back of the truck and made his way over to the house. It was his turn to cook and he was planning to pull out all the stops to show Tony that he’s not the only one that can cook.

The two men made their way into the house and Gibbs came to a halt in the hallway. “You can stand down, McGee it’s just us.”

“Sorry, Boss.” McGee blushed as he lowered his weapon and placed it back on the coffee table. On the couch, across from him, Tony was fast asleep.

Derek walked around Gibbs, looked at the service pistol on the table and then at the younger agent. “It’s a step in the right direction, Agent McGee.” He looked at the man sleeping. “How long has he been out?”

“Didn’t even make half time,” McGee supplied the information as he got to his feet. “I need to get going. I’ll see you at work on Monday, Boss.”

Gibbs nodded his head and started to carry the bags through to the kitchen.

Derek watched McGee take up his coat. “You can stay for dinner if you want. I think AD will appreciate it.”

“Thank you, Agent Morgan, McGee looked over at Gibbs and when the older man nodded his head he smiled. “Something I can help with?”

“Plenty,” Derek took the light blanket that was placed over the back of the couch and folded it over Tony’s body. He leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. He looked up and saw McGee staring at them. “Is there going to be a problem, Agent McGee?”

McGee shook his head. “No, not at all. I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just I’ve never seen him so quiet before. You’re good for him. I’m glad.” He squared his shoulders. “And if you ever hurt him, I will hunt you down.”

Gibbs’ laughed sounded through the house. “You’ll have to wait your turn, McGee. Morgan knows I will get to him first.”

McGee’s eyes grew large and Morgan grinned. “That will never happen, Gibbs. I will rather hurt myself than hurt AD.”

The simultaneous “good” from both NCIS agents made all three men grin. They had Tony’s back and they would keep him safe.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Tony’s apartment: 2 days later**

Tony paced his own living room. Where he was nervous in meeting McGee, he was downright scared to meet with Abby. It was also the reason why he decided to meet her at his apartment. He needed the home advantage. He was also not alone. Both Gibbs and Derek wanted to be there, but he’d managed to convince them that one of them was enough. Derek was in his bedroom and would stay there, unless Tony needed him.

The knock on his door was softer than what he was used to when Abby knocked to gain entry. It was almost subdued. Tony took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few seconds in an attempt to center himself. He squared his shoulders and then closed the distance from where he stood to the front door with easy strides. He opened the door wide.

Abby was dressed in boots that came up above her knees and were decorated with skulls. She had a red and black checkered mini skirt on with a white lacy top. Her hair was pulled back and tied in a single pony tail. A thin bright red collar fit snug across her throat. She didn’t have any makeup on and he could still see the bruises that marked her unblemished skin.

“Abby,” Tony spoke softly and stood to the side so that she could enter the apartment.

Abby shook her head and stayed where she was. She stared at him for a long time. He looked different with his hair still blond and the gray eyes staring at her instead of the usual green ones she was used to.

“Abby?” Doubt crept into Tony’s voice.

Abby reached out and grabbed his hand and squeezed it hard. “I’m sorry.” She finally spoke up. “I thought I could do this, but I can’t.” She shook her head. “And don’t get me wrong, it’s not about me being here and asking for forgiveness, or finally getting a good look at you making sure that you’re indeed all right, especially after you’ve saved my life. It’s about the fact that I let you down in so many ways and that I can’t let you say you forgive me, if I myself am having problems in forgiving myself for the wrong I’ve done to you. I need to sort things out in my head. I’ve done you such a great injustice that being here is not enough. It can’t be enough, not now.” She shrugged. “Maybe never.” She let go of his hand and clasped her own hands together. “I’m going home for a while. I’ve already cleared it with the Director. It’s been a number of years since I’ve last been in New Orleans, it’s time to go back to my roots. I need time to clear my head, to forgive myself for what I’ve done.” Abby leaned forward and kissed the stunned man on the cheek. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me Tony, I will never be able to repay you in kind. You are the greatest brother a girl can ask for, and an even greater friend. I hope that one day I’ll be worthy enough to be called your friend again.” She wiped a stray tear from her cheek and kissed him again. Without waiting for Tony to reply, she turned around and hobbled off back in the direction from which she came.

Tony stood motionless in the door. He could only look on as she disappeared down the passage from his view and couldn’t find it in himself to close the door behind her. He looked over his shoulder as a warm hand landed on his.

“I don’t think any one of us expected that to happen, but I do think she’s right. She needs the time to sort out her head. And you need the time to do the same.” Derek pulled the younger man away from the door and shut it behind them. “Let’s see what’s for dinner.” He didn’t give AD the time to object, but steered the silent man to the kitchen and made him sit down.

“AD?” He asked when the man across from him continued to stare out in front of him. Derek smiled as his friend looked at him. “She’s all right, you saw it with your own eyes and you’ll also be all right. Let it go for now, don’t dwell on that which you can’t change. It will only drive you up the wall.” He leaned in and kissed AD hard. “Dinner first and then we’ll chat. Ok?”

Tony finally nodded his head. “Ok.” He leaned back in the high chair and looked on as Derek started preparing them dinner. He concentrated on what the other man was doing and made himself not dwell on what had happened at his front door mere seconds ago. Abby was right and Derek too. They both needed the time to sort things out. It was going to be all right, he had to give it time.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Tony’s apartment: 1 month later**

AD arched underneath his touch and Derek grinned against his skin. He’d been taking the other man slowly apart for almost an hour and still he refused to offer AD any release. Their relationship had grown in leaps and bounds, but it was only the last week that they’d become more intimate. Hugs and cuddles had given way to long kisses that threatened to rob him of his breath every single time. Touches became more intense, the accidental brush over a straining hard on now more purposeful.

Tonight they’d showered together and for the first time AD didn’t tense up when Derek lapped at his skin, or when he took his hardened cock in his hand and stroked at it lazily. He didn’t give AD the chance to dry off, but pulled him by the hand to the bed and made him lay down. He used his hands and his mouth to wipe and suck the droplets of water away, making sure he covered every inch of AD’s body.

“Please,” Tony gasped and shivered.

Derek looked up and smiled. AD’s head lolled from side to side. His pupils blown wide, his breathing harsh. His skin was flushed and he continued to move, not keeping still for even a mere second. Derek licked his own palm, and then took AD’s shaft in his hand again and tugged at it gently. It had the required effect as AD’s hips lifted off the bed and he moaned long. “Want to hear you, AD. Want to remember each sound you make as I bring you to completion.” Derek whispered the words in his lover’s ear and tugged at the cock again. He swiped over the sensitive head with his thumb and grinned as AD groaned and shuddered. “So beautiful,” he murmured the words against the inside of AD’s thigh before he nipped at the skin and lapped the sting away as the younger man hissed.

“Derek,” Tony moaned and fisted the sheets as Derek’s mouth covered his dripping cock. He had no idea how long he’d be able to last, it felt as if his whole body was on fire. “Fuck,” he bucked up and shivered when Derek pushed him down onto the mattress and kept him there. “Please,” he gasped for air as Derek used his tongue to lap at the tiny slit at the top. His balls ached and he quivered with need.

Derek lifted his upper body and leaned on his left elbow as he snaked his right hand between their bodies and wrapped his hand around the pulsating cock. “Look at me,” he whispered and as AD’s gray eyes locked with his he started to move his hand up and down the whole shaft. He gave it a twist or two, used his thumb to rub over the sensitive tip on every other up stroke. AD shivered again, his legs shook beneath him and he knew that AD was on the brink of no return. “Let go, show me, AD, cum.”

Tony gasped one more time for air and tumbled over the edge. He could hear himself scream as his orgasm slammed into him, but it didn’t matter, he felt only ecstasy as his vision turned white. He was aware of the fact that his hips continued to buck up from the bed and he could feel Derek’s hand over his cock, milking him hard and he didn’t want it to end. He sobbed as the tension in his body ebbed away. His muscles turned to jelly and the world stopped spinning. Tony groaned as Derek tugged again at his over sensitive cock. “Fuck,” he knew he sounded like a broken record, but he had a feeling that Derek did break him, but in a good way. It was going to take a while to put him together again.

“Mm,” Derek smiled. “If you’re still able to talk, I’ve not succeeded in taking you apart completely. Maybe I should try again.” He leaned in and captured Tony’s mouth in a searing kiss.

Tony smiled and shook his head. “I can promise you, I’ve been totally taken apart.” He tried to lift his head, but had no energy left. He smiled again as Derek laughed at him. “See, I’m broken.”

Derek shook his head and dragged his hand through AD’s blond hair. Not only did he stop coloring it, but he kept it a bit longer as well so it curled just over his collar. In a way, it made him look even younger and with those gray eyes of him, he looked a bit mischievous. “Don’t worry, I’ll put you together again.” He laughed as AD squirmed beneath him and he leaned in for another kiss. They still had a whole night ahead of them and he was going to use every second of it to put AD back together again and then pull him apart. It was going to be a wonderful night.

**~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~**

**Tony’s apartment: 2 months later**

Derek grabbed the phone next to the bed and squinted at the screen. He raised an eyebrow and gently got out of bed, making sure to cover his lover up with the sheet before he stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him. He made his way to the living room and dialed a now familiar number.

“I thought you don’t know how to text?” He asked as Gibbs answered the phone on the second ring.

 _“And I thought you’d be sleeping instead of phoning me back.”_ Gibbs replied.

“I’m a light sleeper.” Derek yawned. “Are you sure about the information?”

_“If I knew how, I would’ve sent you the photos of the body. I’m sure it’s him.”_

“Did he suffer?”

_“Not nearly enough, but he won’t hurt anyone else ever again.”_

“And now AD can put this whole ordeal behind him. Both Teel and Maslak are now finally in hell. It’s good enough for me.” Derek turned as the bedroom door opened up behind him. He was not surprised to see AD standing behind him. “I’ve got to go. Thanks for the information, Gibbs. We’ll see you tomorrow.” He ended the call.

“Maslak dead?” Tony crossed his arms over his chest.

Derek nodded and closed the distance between them. He tossed his phone on the couch. “He is.” He lifted his lover’s, chin. “And you’ve got no reason to feel guilty about it.”

Tony nodded. He knew Derek was right. There was no reason for him to feel guilty about anything. After more than twenty years of hell, it was finally over. He leaned in and kissed Derek on the lips. “Let’s go back to bed.”

“Now there’s an idea.” Derek grinned from ear to ear as he took the other man’s hand and dragged him back to the bedroom. It’s time that he reminded AD again how much he loved him. They could finally forget about the past and concentrate on their future.

**The End**


End file.
